Life after Hokuto
by lachesis33
Summary: Story starts one week after the Hokuto Cup. What will happen when a new tournament is introduced? Told from multiple POVs and is fairly canon. [non.yaoi]
1. Ko Yongha

Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go (but I do own this fan fic and a complete set of the manga in Japanese heh heh heh...). Hikaru no Go is the property of Hotta Yumi and Obata Takeshi.

Spoiler Alert: This fan fic is an ambitious attempt to pick up from where Hikago abruptly ended in volume 23 of the manga. The events take place one week after the end of the Hokuto Cup. 

For those who are not familiar with the Hokuto Cup, it is an international go competition (Japan-China-Korea) that took place about four months after the end of the animated series. The member selection tournament for team Japan is covered by the Hikago 2004 Special and the entire Hokuto Cup arc (including the actual games) is covered by volumes 19-23 of the manga. So, if you don't want to know about the Hokuto Cup or what happened after the member selection process, you may not want to read this fan fic because spoilers abound! In any case, I hope you will take the time to read this anyway.

Pairings: This fic is going to be non-yaoi because I am trying to stay true to the series (to the extent possible anyway). However, I am not opposed to yaoi... while making sure that no one was watching, lachesis deftly tossed her akihika/hikaaki and wayasumi/isumiya paraphernalia into her cramped little closet o.O; That being said, a few shonen-ai hints may show up every now and then. -.-; (Just as Hotta sensei intended?!)

A/N: Both Ko Yongha and Yashiro Kiyoharu made their first appearance in the series during the Hokuto Cup. Ko Yongha was team Korea's first board and Yashiro was team Japan's third board.

Important note: _Baduk_ is the Korean name for go.

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Please sit back and enjoy!

**Chapter One: Ko Yongha  
  
Seoul, Korea**

Ko Yongha sat slightly hunched-over on a floor cushion in his apartment, quietly contemplating an intricate game of _baduk_ that he had recreated on the board before him. He shared his apartment with his older sister, which explained the little feminine touches such as the colorful floor cushions, the decorative flowering plants on the balcony and the pretty dishes in the cabinet. Between him and his sister, they were able to afford a relatively spacious apartment located in the upper floors of a modern luxury high-rise in one of Seoul's more sought after neighborhoods. His sister insisted on buying this apartment because the balcony had a nice unobstructed view of the city. Yongha found that the calm view of the city helped him to relax whenever he became too stressed over _baduk_. Therefore, he agreed to the purchase of the apartment.

It was early evening. The light from the setting sun cast a warm golden glow on Yongha's smooth skin, accentuating his high cheekbones, straight nose, and perfect lips. One of his sister's friends once laughingly told Yongha during her drunken state that his lips looked like they were meant to be kissed. Yongha excused himself rather quickly once it became clear that his sister's friend was hitting on him. He reflected afterwards that he might have stayed if that girl was more attractive looking.

A light breeze swept in soundlessly from the open balcony doors to his left, tugging gently at his auburn-colored hair that fell elegantly around his shoulders. His hazel eyes narrowed slightly in concentration as he looked intently at the shapes and connections formed by the slate and shell stones. Those very same eyes were framed by incredibly long lashes, so beautiful that it seemed wrong for a young man to possess them. The only flaw on Yongha's handsome features was a slight crease on his smooth brow.

Yongha closed his eyes and gave a tired sigh. Silently, he willed his neck and shoulder muscles that had unconsciously tensed up in the past hour to relax. He shifted his lean body into a more comfortable position to ease his legs' growing numbness. He opened his eyes and stared absently at the view of the city bathe in the soothing colors of the sunset. The sun, a vivid orange globe, hung low on the horizon. The light from the sun shone brightly against the shades of red, orange and indigo dominant in the evening sky.

Unbidden, Yongha's thoughts drifted back to the events that had happened exactly one week ago in Japan - the Hokuto Cup. He played against Shindou Hikaru over the first board at the Japan-Korea match where he won against Shindou by a slim margin of half a moku. Yongha placed his hands on the ground behind him, leaned back and stared up at the stucco ceiling. Has it already been a week? Yongha wondered. It feels like yesterday. I can still distinctly picture everything in that room, feel that unfamiliar rush of excitement and anxiety coursing through my body, and see that look of relentless intensity in your eyes. Yongha's eyes brightened at the memory. It was not just another game. I'll be damned before I'll admit it to anyone, but I'm certain that I will remember that game for years to come.

Why?

The corners of Yongha's lips turned up slightly. Because, for the first time in my life, I felt truly alive while playing _baduk_. No, that was not exactly true. That feeling was also there when I played, and lost, against the former Japanese Meijin, Touya Kouyo, during his brief visit with So Chang-Won sensei at the Korean Baduk Association here. Yet, there is no question in my mind that the game against Shindou was infinitely more satisfying. I won, yes, but it was much more than that, Yongha thought. Yongha sat upright on his cushion and looked thoughtfully at the game on the _baduk_ board. I know what it is, Yongha nodded absently. For the first time in my life, I encountered a player around my age that possessed gaming skills approaching my own.

Yongha paused at a thought that he had been pushing around at the back of his mind for the last several days. After so many years, has a rival finally appeared?

In Korea, Yongha was considered a _baduk_ prodigy. There was no one among his peers who possessed the same mastery or the natural flair for the subtle game of _baduk_. Yongha looked disinterestedly at the numerous plaques and trophies that lined the top of a cabinet on the opposite wall. Plaques and trophies are nice, but they are meaningless if they were too easily won, Yongha thought dispassionately.

Yongha constantly pushed himself forward, straining eagerly to reach the next higher level, because he knew that was the only way to gain recognition. Put simply, recognition meant access to stronger players. His peers were simply no match for him. He craved a good game like an addict craved his drugs. He actively participated in Korea's title tournaments where he advanced as far as the challenger round for Kuksu (National Champion), one of Korea's top _baduk_ titles. He began to play frequently in the international competitions, hoping that he would soon have a chance to play against top pros like Touya Kouyo. The former Meijin's sudden retirement was like a stinging slap in the face.

I used to think that the level of game play among the younger generation was weak and pathetic when compared to the strength and elegance of the older generation, Yongha thought. However, after the Hokuto Cup, I think I will have to revise my opinion. A gleam of anticipation shone in Yongha's eyes.

Shindou Hikaru.

Yongha turned his attention once again to the game on the _baduk_ board. Through a strange twist of fate, I ended up playing against Shindou instead of Touya Akira in the Hokuto Cup. Maybe it wasn't so strange after all, he mused, and maybe, I subconsciously wanted it that way. He thought back of the very first time that he met Shindou.

Suyon and I had arrived early at the hotel where the competition was held. While we were waiting to be called, we stood idly near the entrance of the hotel lobby chit-chatting about Suyon's uncle who owned a go salon in Japan. I immediately noticed when Suyon suddenly fell silent and wore a startled look on his face. I followed Suyon's line of vision, and noticed with some surprise that a boy with bleached blond bangs was glaring straight at me. I was not scared or angry, but was rather amused that a total stranger in Japan was giving me such a look of intense animosity. I shrugged it off. It was certainly not the first time that this happened. Many _baduk_ players in Korea considered me a rival and would often glare at me that way, but I never cared because they were not worthy of my time. Based on my reading of Suyon's body language, this apparently was the boy who Suyon considered to be his rival. I had no business to be present in this "touching" reunion, so I left.

Later that day, Suyon confronted me to ask whether I had ever insulted Shuusaku in front of a certain Japanese reporter, Yongha thought with a grin as he recalled the scene in his hotel room. It turned out to be all a misunderstanding due to the language barrier. I could have let Suyon resolve the issue with Shindou, but instead I held him back. There was something about the glare in Shindou's gray-green eyes that intrigued me. It held a promise of fierce challenge. I thought that it would be such a shame to nip a good fight at the bud, so I added fuel to the fire by publicly insulting Shuusaku to get Shindou's ire up even higher. It worked like a charm, Yongha's grin became broader. The expression on Shindou's face was absolutely priceless. If insulting the legendary go player Shuusaku, risking the displeasure of my Japanese host and risking the embarrassment of my team were necessary get me some recognition and a few extra jabs at Shindou - so be it. I knew that I would play against Shindou eventually, but I had not expected to see him appear before me as the first board in the Japan-Korea match. Then again, it wasn't totally unexpected either, Yongha thought with a suppressed chuckle.

The match with Shindou was everything I had hoped for and then some, Yongha thought with a small smile of satisfaction. The battle that took place on the board was bloody, more so than I would have ever imagined. Shindou was sly. He would attack my groups at the most unexpected places and play at some odd places, but over the course of the battle, I realized all of those moves were well-executed designs in his campaign to destroy my army. Nevertheless, I prevailed because I was able to read the game farther ahead than he, Yongha thought haughtily. It was glorious how Shindou responded to my attacks and how I in turn responded to his. Back and forth, back and forth we went. Each move becoming more daring and more critical to the outcome. I felt my palms sweat as I tapped on all of my reserves, calculating each move carefully for I knew any misstep could cost me the game, and I was certainly not planning to lose.

I won by half a moku. The euphoria that I felt in finally playing against a worthy player was indescribably intoxicating. The match ended too soon. I wanted more. Would I feel the same sense of euphoria if my opponent was Touya Akira instead of Shindou Hikaru? Perhaps. However, I would not know until I played him. Someday, I intend to do that. Hopefully, that someday will be soon.  
Yongha looked toward the balcony and watched as the light steadily faded against the darkness. He watched until the light finally succumbed and the darkness emerged as the victor. That is, Yongha thought with a wry smile, until the light returned the next morning in full force to dominate and wash away any vestiges of darkness. Perhaps, that was the true meaning of eternal rivals.

Ding Dong!  
  
Yongha's revelry was interrupted by the sound of the door bell to his apartment. With a small grunt of effort, Yongha stood and stretched his tall frame. His height gave many people the impression that he was much older when in fact he was only sixteen years old. He was dressed casually in a pair of loose fitting slacks and a comfortable looking shirt that left the top two buttons undone. His legs felt stiff after spending the last hour sitting more or less motionlessly in front of the _baduk_ board. As Yongha took a step toward the door, his eyes, of its own accord, wandered back to the _baduk_ board to take in a bird's eye view of the game. 

Ding Dong! Ding Dong!

The door bell rang again, more insistently this time. Yongha tore his gaze away from the board, thoroughly disgusted with himself at how obsessive he was starting to get over that game. Yongha went to answer the door.

A teenage boy wearing a baseball cap, a sports jacket, a black shoulder bag and two white plastic bags in his hands was standing impatiently at the door. The boy had to look up to scowl at Yongha since the top of his head barely reached Yongha's shoulders.

"Yo! Suyon!" Yongha said and raised his hand in a quick wave in greeting.

"Yongha, what took you so long to answer the door?" Suyon demanded.

"I was finishing up with what I was doing," Yongha said.

"Well, I've been standing here for five minutes carrying all this stuff. Can you at least answer the door first?" Suyon complained loudly.

"Stop exaggerating. Just chill," Yongha said smoothly as he helped Suyon carry the two plastic bags into his apartment. Suyon closed the door a bit harder than necessary. Yongha cocked an eyebrow at Suyon. I should probably bring it up with Suyon again that he needs to work on his patience, this streak of rashness is bad for _baduk_, Yongha thought as he made a mental note to have that talk with Suyon. However, Yongha added to himself, not tonight. Yongha placed the plastic bags on the dining room table. Based on the aroma emanating from the bag, it was clearly their dinner for tonight. The smell made Yongha realize that he was in fact very hungry since he had not eaten since brunch. He was studying kifus from the recent Korean title matches early this afternoon. After that, he recreated his game with Shindou and then uncharacteristically - he lost track of time.

"Oi, Suyon. Aren't you a little late today?" Yongha asked in a conversational tone as he emptied the food onto the pretty dishes from the cabinet.

"I would be in here earlier if you answered the door," Suyon remarked sarcastically as he took off his baseball cap, jacket, and bag and placed them in a neat pile next to the _baduk_ board in the living room. Suyon looked at the game on the board with interest.

"Very funny," Yongha said dryly.

"I always get here around seven. It's not like it's a surprised visit or anything," Suyon answered. For over a year now, ever since Suyon's return from his first trip to Japan, they had been meeting once a week every Saturday evening to analyze noteworthy games, to discuss the results of the games that each played during the past week, and to gossip about the latest _baduk_ news occurring both in Korea and overseas.

"Gotcha. I'll go get the tea ready and the dinner set up," Yongha answered with a small shrug and set the kettle to boil.

"Oh yeah. I got you the Shuusaku books that you wanted from the library and more kifus from Chang-Won sensei," Suyon said, sounding somewhat distracted.

Like Yongha, Suyon was a professional _baduk_ player in Korea. Suyon represented team Korea as the third board at the Hokuto Cup last week. While the organizers and the players at the Hokuto Cup undoubtedly saw Yongha as an arrogant "bad boy" who had no respect for decorum or authority, Yongha generally behaved and was quite well-liked in his home country. His easy grace, his charismatic personality, his undisputed talent in _baduk_ and his twisted sense of humor all served to garner continuous support from his peers and fans alike.

Yongha had a habit of checking on his peers and the younger crop of players to see whether any one of them possessed the skill or the potential to excel that would make them worthy of his time. The spirited Hon Suyon quickly caught his attention.

Since the beginning, it was obvious that Suyon had a special affinity for the ancient board game. Unfortunately, it was equally obvious, at least to Yongha, that Suyon lacked the mental toughness that was expected of a successful professional _baduk_ player. However, after Suyon's return from his visit with his uncle living in Japan, Yongha saw the change in Suyon's attitude toward _baduk_. Suyon's eyes burned with determination to win and his competitive spirit reached a fevered pitch, often to the point of intimidating his opponents. That was the time when Yongha decided to take Suyon under his wing and they began to meet every Saturday. Over time, they developed a relaxed relationship where they more or less treated each other like brothers. There was still a fair discrepancy between their skill levels, but Yongha knew that the gap was narrowing every day. Yongha did not mind, because it gave him the push that he needed to keep moving forward with his pursuit to master _baduk_.

Yongha craned his neck out of the kitchen to see why Suyon seemed so quiet. Suyon was sitting in front of the _baduk_ board with a look of rapt fascination on his face.

"Oh. No wonder he sounded distracted earlier," Yongha thought, a faint knowing smile on his perfect lips.

Shindou. Everyone seems to be so fascinated by you, Yongha thought as he took out two metal spoons and two pairs of chopsticks from the kitchen drawers. What is it about you and your unnatural obsession with Shuusaku that you would do anything to play against me to avenge a perceived insult against a man that was dead over a hundred forty years ago? Yongha thought with a frown as he reached up to pull out two bamboo placemats from an upper shelf. Not that I really mind, Yongha reflected thoughtfully. I'm sure that you would not have played the way you did but for your obsession with Shuusaku. In any case, absent your obsession, my opponent would have been Touya instead. Yongha shrugged indifferently as he quickly prepared two table settings directly across from each other on the small square dining table. I am a realist. I'm not interested in what could have happened; I'm only interested in what actually happened.

The kettle gave a shrill whistle. In quick practiced motions, Yongha prepared the tea and went to check on Suyon.

Suyon glanced up upon hearing Yongha's muted footsteps on the hardwood floor. "I thought you would be studying the games that Chang-won sensei gave you the other day instead of this one," Suyon said with a serious look on his face as he pointed to the _baduk_ board. It did not escape Suyon's notice that Yongha was showing a more than passing interest in Shindou.

Yongha leaned casually against a sturdy wooden bookshelf filled with books related to _baduk_ in the living room. With an amused smile Yongha said, "How long are you planning to sit there? Let's eat. The food is getting cold." Yongha went to take his place at the dining room table without waiting for Suyon's response. Suyon was about to say something, but he decided to let the matter drop for now.

Over dinner, Yongha and Suyon reviewed and discussed Touya Kouyo's games from the Chinese League. A brief article summarizing the recent activities of the former Meijin and his latest kifus were published in this week's issue of Korea's professional _baduk_ newspaper.

"I thought that when Touya sensei suddenly retired, he would be pretty much out of the spotlight. Who would have thought that he is now the hottest item on the international circuit?" Suyon said with open respect and admiration in between bites of his dinner.

"A truly dedicated player like Touya sensei will play _baduk_ until the day he died. The term 'retirement' is just a polite way for Touya sensei to tell the world that he has chosen a different path to pursue the hand of god," Yongha answered calmly.

Suyon looked at Yongha's with a startled look, thought for a moment and finally said, "Hm... I never thought about it that way, but I guess that sounds right." Trust Yongha to come up with a deep answer, Suyon thought as he stole a look at his companion's placid expression.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Suyon sat up suddenly and smacked a hand to his forehead. He walked quickly to the living room and returned seconds later with a sheet of paper in his hand.

"Chang-Won sensei faxed this to me last night since he knew that I was going to meet with you today." Yongha took the proffered paper from Suyon with a puzzled look. Suyon resumed his seat from across Yongha with an expectant look on his face.

Yongha's eyes widen upon scanning the contents of the paper. A hint of a smile began to curl at the corner of his lips which quickly widen to an uncontrollable grin. His eyes sparkled and took on a wild and excited gleam. There is a god, Yongha thought feverishly. I will get a rematch against Shindou in four months!

"You know, Yongha, you really should consider investing in a fax machine," said Suyon with a smug smile, unable to resist a stab at Yongha.

Yongha did not hear him. His thoughts were already on the types of strategies that he will use against Shindou at their next meeting.

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A/N: I noticed that there are barely any Hikago fanfics with Ko Yongha in it. I hope it's only because people don't really know about him (since he didn't appear in any of the animated series) rather than not liking him. -.-; The next chapter will take place in Japan and will be starred by Hikaru. 

If you like what you see, please let me know. If I know that people are actually interested in reading this, it gives me more incentive to continue this project. Comments welcome.

Oh yeah, this is my first attempt at writing a fan fic...


	2. Shindou Hikaru

Disclaimer: Same as before.

A/N: Thank you for all of your kind reviews!

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**Chapter Two: Shindou Hikaru**

Tokyo, Japan

It was early Saturday morning. Shindou Hikaru, his face, a mask of resolution, sat cross-legged on the faded beige rug in the middle of his room absorbed on the task before him. His bleached blond bangs fell softly over his eyes as he leaned slightly forward to take a closer look at the formation on the upper left corner of the go board. His hand stroked thoughtfully under his chin as he pondered the moves on the board thus far. His gray-green eyes exuded a look of grim determination as he lifted a white stone from the bowl and placed it rather forcefully on an intersection, the stone making a crisp pa-chi! as it made contact with the wooden board.

On one end of the room, there was a small television set and a VCR with which Hikaru used to record his favorite animes. In a glowing green font, the VCR's display indicated that the current time was 8:02.

Normally, Hikaru would have slept in on Saturday mornings unless he was expected at an obligatory professional function. However, he could not sleep. In fact, he had not been able to get a good night's sleep this entire week because his dreams were haunted.

_A pair of unforgiving hazel eyes gazed steadily at him over a go board. Those eyes stared unblinkingly at him, as if intent on burning a hole through his soul, intent on snuffing out his spirit and intent on destroying the thing that he held most dear._

Hikaru would wake in a cold sweat, unable to fall asleep again. Hikaru knew whom those eyes belonged to.

Ko Yongha.

Hikaru knew that he would not be able to rest until he came to terms with what happened last week. In his dreams, Ko Yongha's eyes mercilessly taunted him, reminding Hikaru of his humiliating defeat and his inability to defend Honinbou Shuusaku and Sai's honor.

I need a way to destroy those eyes - in my dreams and in this game against him, Hikaru thought as he continued to alternately play black and white stones onto his go board. (1)

Gradually the game took shape, the black and white stones convalesced into an intricate pattern that Hikaru recognized immediately for he must have recreated it hundreds of times this week. It was the game that was played between him and Ko Yongha at the Hokuto Cup last week, the game where he lost by half a moku.

It was not Hikaru's intention to recreate the exact game over and over again, but it usually ended up that way. Every since his disappointing loss to Ko Yongha, he had been spending an inordinate amount of time each day in his room obsessively playing out variations of that game. He went as far as avoiding contact with his friends and canceling his weekly private matches with Touya. He needed his personal space. Nothing was going to distract him from fully analyzing this all-important game. He only stepped briefly out of his room when it was time for his regular games at the Japanese Go Institute and for other necessities.

Hikaru raked his eyes carefully over the yet unfinished game on the board. Like he had done so for countless times this week, Hikaru began to ask himself "what if" questions over the decisions that he made during his match with Ko Yongha. What if I had extended here instead of cutting there? What if I had jumped there instead of connecting here? What if I had defended here instead of launching a daring attack there? What if, what if, WHAT IF!?!

Hikaru knew that he was engaging in a pointless exercise, because if he had played a hand differently, Ko Yongha would certainly have responded differently as well. Hikaru reached out with his right hand for one of the many Ko Yongha kifus that were littered around his bedroom floor. No matter how many kifus he looked at, Hikaru was still too unfamiliar with Ko Yongha's distinctive Korean style to anticipate how his opponent would have countered his "what if" moves. Therefore, Hikaru would inevitably end up recreating the exact game that was played out between them at the Hokuto Cup. Even so, Hikaru was like a man possessed. He could not seem to stop himself from trying to recreate variations of the game where he might have overlooked a crucial move and could have won. Because, he wanted to win so very badly, just like that time when he wanted to win so very badly against Isumi at the pro examination.

Hikaru slouched dejectedly in front of his go board and ran a frustrated hand through his blond bangs. His eyes hurt from excessive straining over the board and he still was not making any significant progress in his analysis. Sighing tiredly, Hikaru shuffled the kifus carelessly into a pile. He did not want to look at another kifu. He felt burnt out.

As Hikaru reached for the last sheet of kifu from his left, his eyes caught sight of the classical Japanese fan that lay serenely next to the go board.

Sai.

Hikaru reached out his left hand and lightly traced an invisible line down the fan's wooden frame. It was a bittersweet memento from his friend, teacher and mentor. He always kept it close to him during his professional games, ever since his dream of the Heian ghost. Even now, one year after Sai's disappearance, Hikaru could feel the wall that he had so carefully constructed around his emotions threatening to crumble whenever he thought of Sai. How Sai had wordlessly vanished without a trace. How Sai had left without saying goodbye...

Hikaru sniffed quietly. He had gotten so used to seeing Sai's smiling face and childish antics that his heart ached with loneliness whenever he sat idly in his room. That was why he always played. When he played, he could feel Sai's presence within him, ever so gently guiding his game, softly admonishing him whenever he made a mistake. Hikaru raised his right hand to angrily wipe away at the tears that surfaced of its own accord. I thought I was over this, Hikaru thought furiously, angry at his weakness.

Sai. Once again, I have failed you, Hikaru thought, utterly depressed. The sparkle of liveliness that was usually present in Hikaru's eyes was dulled by a film of unhappiness. I wish that god would take pity and give me another chance! If it was Touya, I could have asked for a rematch any day, but what am I suppose to do when the opponent is hundreds of miles away? Sai. This hurts so much. Do I really have to wait until next year's Hokuto Cup? I don't think my sanity will last that long, Hikaru thought, his shoulders slumped and his misery apparent. Unbidden, visions of his humiliating defeat at the hands of Ko Yongha and the hazel eyes from his dream came in full force to mock him.

"That bastard! I can't believe I lost to that BASTARD!!" Hikaru spat forcefully. He squinted his eyes shut in pain and sobbed uncontrollably while tightly clenching his fists.

In his frustration, Hikaru pounded his fists repeatedly and heavily on the floor, knocking over a bowl of black go stones in the process. Hikaru stared speechlessly at the mess he had just created. The black stones stood out in stark relief to the beige of the rug as they lay scattered on the floor. It looked like a smear of ink on a pristine piece of parchment - just like the smear on Shuusaku and Sai's good name, Shindou thought despondently.

"Hikaru?" Shindou Mitsuko called worriedly from somewhere downstairs. "Is everything alright up there?"

Hikaru was too wrapped up within his internal turmoil to hear his mother's worried voice.

"Hikaru?" Mitsuko called a little louder when she received no response. Mitsuko pressed a hand to her forehead, uncertain what to do about her fifteen year old son. Through the persuasion of her husband and her father-in-law, Mitsuko resignedly accepted the fact that Hikaru has chosen the path of a professional go player and will no longer continue his studies at school. She sighed. She had watched, without comment, ever from the sidelines as her energetic little boy grew up into a self-possessed young man. As time passed, Hikaru became more and more entrenched in go. At the same time, go was taking more and more of the little boy that she used to know away from her.

She didn't understand go. She didn't understand her son's obsession with go. But, one thing she did understand was that she wanted her son to be happy above all else, even if it meant giving him up to go.

One thing about Hikaru that had not changed over the years was his inability to hide his emotions, Mitsuko thought with a small smile. His face was an open book. I can see the pain, the loneliness and the sadness in his eyes, but why in one so young? I can't even begin to fathom the reason. I don't know my own son.

The last time that this happened, Hikaru's slump lasted for five months, Mitsuko thought with rising concern. I was so shocked and sick with worry when he told me that he wanted to quit playing professionally. The slump finally came to a halt when that shy young man showed up one day to visit. What was his name again? Mitsuko's brow wrinkled in thought. Maybe I should ask him to visit.

Mitsuko looked anxiously up at the now silent room. She had made a decision. Even for Hikaru, his behavior this week was way too strange.

"Hikaru? I'm coming up right now," Mitsuko called out as she started to walk up the stairs. She was determined to have that long over-due talk with her son.

Hikaru finally snapped to attention upon hearing his mother's approaching footsteps. He didn't want her to see his puffy eyes and his distraught demeanor. It was just too embarrassing. He panicked. All traces of anger vanished. Hurriedly, he called out in what he hoped to be his normal sounding voice, "I'm ok mom, I accidentally slipped on a go stone and fell down. It's no big deal."

Mitsuko frowned at the response. What she heard before certainly didn't sound like someone falling, but maybe she was mistaken? "Are you sure? Are you hurt? Did you sprain anything? You don't sound too good."

"No mom! I'm fine," Hikaru said firmly while stifling a sniffle. He was willing his mother to turn around and leave him alone.

Mitsuko stood hesitantly outside the closed door and asked with concern, "Do you need help cleaning your room?"

"No mom! I told you before. I don't want you to touch my stuff up here, because once you clean, I'll never be able to find anything again!"

"Fine, but if you trip in your room again, I'm going to come up and clean regardless of what you say."

"Yeah, yeah, fine! Whatever," Hikaru grumbled loudly. Inwardly, he felt a tinge of guilt for dismissing his mother so rudely since he knew she was only worried. After meeting Yashiro, a shodan (1-dan) from the Kansai Go Institute, at the member selection tournament of the Hokuto Cup, Hikaru finally realized how lucky he was to have supportive parents. To Yashiro's extreme disappointment, Yashiro's parents remained stubbornly steadfast in their opposition to his decision to become a pro. They believed that there was no future in the world of go. Hikaru cannot understand how anyone could feel that way, but who cares; he has enough problems of his own.

Mitsuko sighed deeply and thought, so much for having that talk. She shook her head resignedly and returned to her task of preparing breakfast. She wondered idly how Hikaru managed to find anything in that disaster area.

Inside the bedroom, Hikaru took out some tissues from his drawers and proceeded to blow his nose and dry his eyes. The sudden surge and dissipation of emotion left him drained and deflated. Wearily, Hikaru knelt down next to the black go stones that remained scattered on the beige rug.

It really does look like a smear of ink, Hikaru thought. Slowly, he picked up a stone and dropped it back into the wooden bowl.

Sai, I don't know why Ko Yongha went out of his way to tarnish your name and reputation. I just know that he insulted you in front of the whole world and that was AB-SO-LUTE-LY unforgivable, Hikaru thought heatedly, some of his earlier anger returning. It is a simple matter to remove the stones off this rug, Hikaru thought as he continued to pick the stones off the floor. However, as for the smear on your name . . . if only, if only I can make it go away . . . damn that Ko Yongha! Hikaru thought angrily, unconsciously clenching a black stone that he had just picked up and pressed it tightly into his fist. But, I failed. Hikaru hung his head in defeat. His hand relaxed its grip and the black stone fell unheedingly onto the rug. Sai, if only I was stronger, Hikaru lamented.

Hikaru stood up and went to plop gracelessly face down onto his bed.

I am SO pathetic, Hikaru thought as he buried his face deep into his pillow. No matter how many times I tried to recreate that game with Ko Yongha, I just can't convince myself that I could have won. Hikaru thumped his fists and feet against the mattress repeatedly, just like a child would have done in the midst of a tantrum. Finally, he lay exhausted on his bed.

That was REALLY mature, Hikaru thought after he was done beating up his mattress. But, I do feel better. Hikaru sighed wearily.

Hikaru blanked his mind and laid motionless with his face still buried in his pillow for several moments before he finally had to come up for air. His nose was still stuffed up from the crying earlier.  
  
Hikaru plopped on his bed again. This time he lay on his back with his arms resting behind his head. From his vantage point, he could see the cloudless blue skies, which were clear for as far as the eye could see. Shafts of dazzling sunlight danced playfully before his eyes as the leaves of the trees outside his window swayed gently with the light morning breeze. All in all, today was a fine day.

It's so peaceful that it's eerie, Hikaru thought as he breathed deeply in the fresh morning air.

Sai, when you disappeared, I finally realized that I was just a selfish little kid who took everything for granted. I was so blind. I did not see your pain and your fear of fading into nonexistence, Hikaru thought as he took another deep breath. I think, subconsciously, I sensed the negative energy emanating from you and knew that something was wrong. Yet, I ignored it. I did not want to know about it. I did not want to see it. All I wanted to do was concentrate on my go, on catching up to Touya, and on my budding professional career. I did not have the time to worry about a moody Heian ghost. After all, you had already lived through two lifetimes and had been around for over a thousand years. Even after I am gone, you will be around for at least thousands more. Whatever was troubling you will work itself out - or so I thought.

Then, you vanished.

It hurt. God, it hurt so much.

I felt my world collapsed around me. You were my anchor and my pillar of strength. You were supposed to be my eternal companion, never to leave my side, Hikaru thought as he stared at the clear blue skies, willing his emotions to be as calm as the scenery before him.

Sai. Even now, I continue to behave selfishly. Because I wanted to play against Ko Yongha, Touya was forced to suffer the humiliation of playing second board against Korea. I owe him an explanation, but I don't know how to tell him without telling him the whole truth. I don't think he is ready to accept the truth about you and me, Sai. My friendship with Touya is still too new, too fragile. We haven't been on speaking terms until this past year and I don't want to jeopardize that friendship now.

Deep inside the innermost recesses of Hikaru's heart, there was another reason why he could not tell Touya about Sai. It laid so close to Hikaru's heart that even Hikaru himself refused to consciously acknowledge it.

Sai belonged to him and to him alone.

Sai was something so precious to Hikaru that he wanted to hog Sai greedily all to himself. He did not want to share. He was the one destined to carry on Sai's legacy. That was why he always had an excuse why he could not tell Touya about Sai. That was why he must win against Ko Yongha at all costs. That was why, after the match, his tears of regret fell freely and refused to stop.

"Hikaru, a player's worth is measured by his strength in go alone. All else is irrelevant. The road to the mastery of go is a never ending one. Never give up," a familiar voice whispered faintly to him while the morning breeze gently caressed his hair, teasing it playfully. Hikaru's head shot up at the nostalgic voice.

Sai?!

Hikaru quickly stood and frantically scanned the room for signs of Sai. He looked under his bed, under his desk, inside his closet. He even peeked inside the VCR's tape slot just to be sure that he covered his bases, but the Heian ghost was nowhere to be found. The room was as it was - the pale blue curtains fluttered lightly with the breeze, black go stones were scattered on the rug, several messy piles of kifus were stacked haphazardly around the desk area, and back issues of the Weekly Go were left carelessly here and there.

Hikaru closed his eyes and carefully listened for the slightest sound in his room. He heard the rustling of the leaves outside, the cheerful chirping of little birds, the sound of people talking as they walked passed his house and the faint clanging sound of pots and pans from the kitchen downstairs. But, he did not hear Sai's voice.

Argh! Hikaru thought to himself as he pushed his hands roughly through his hair. His expression was a mixture of hope and despair. What's wrong with me? I can't do this anymore. I'll go insane! Or, am I insane already?! Hikaru thought as he held his head between his hands. Even after one year, Sai, I still miss you dearly, Hikaru thought sadly.

Hikaru looked wistfully at the go board. Sai was so happy when I got that go board from grandpa, Hikaru thought, a hint of a smile on his lips. He ran around the room like an eager little puppy for five whole minutes before he finally settled down to play. Hikaru could clearly imagine Sai's excited features and Sai's familiar pleading voice in his head, "Ne ne ne! Hikaru, Hikaruuuuu! Let's play! Let's play! Let's plaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Those were the happy days. Hikaru wished those days would return, but it was not to be.

Hikaru stood in the middle of the room with his arms wrapped around himself and closed his eyes. If he thought about it hard enough, it almost felt like Sai was embracing him. The mild breeze that had been caressing his hair felt almost like Sai patting him affectionately on the head telling him not to worry and that everything would be alright. Hikaru relaxed and gave free rein to his imagination. He could almost feel Sai's presence in the room.

Sai, I know that you would not want to see me weep from a loss. I have to move on. I have to stand on my own two feet instead of relying on your strength. I know that you will always live within my game. I know that you are proud of me for I felt the warmth of your benevolent smile in my dream. Although I cannot see you anymore, somehow I just know that you are out there somewhere, perhaps in the next realm, waiting patiently for the day when you get a chance to play again - to reach that lofty goal - the hand of god. If anyone deserved to attain that ultimate level of enlightenment, it should be you, Sai. Hikaru reflected quietly, his spirit strangely lifted and calmed by an image of a smiling Sai in his mind.

Ko Yongha. I might have lost a battle, but the war is far from over. When we meet at the next Hokuto Cup, I will be ready for you, Hikaru thought fiercely. He shifted his gaze over to the go board and looked affectionately at the classical Japanese fan lying serenely next to it.

I will sleep well tonight, Hikaru thought with a smile.

Hikaru glanced down at the black go stones that remained scattered on the rug. If Sai really was here, he would be horrified to see go stones strewn across the room, Hikaru thought ruefully. In swift motions born of practice, Hikaru scooped up the stones and dropped them lightly into the wooden bowl. Hikaru grimaced at the messy piles of kifus and the back issues of weekly go that sat at various corners of his room. Maybe later, he thought with a grin.

"Hikaru! Come down for breakfast!" Mitsuko called from the bottom of the stairs. "Hikaru!"

"Alright already! I'm coming!" Hikaru called as he walked briskly down the stairs.

In the middle of Hikaru's room, a pair of beautiful violet-colored eyes phased into existence exactly on the spot where Hikaru stood. It watched longingly at Hikaru's back as Hikaru stepped out of the room. Slowly, a pair of well-shaped plum-colored lips materialized below the eyes, showing a ghost of a smile. The eyes shifted its gaze towards the tranquil blue skies. A ray of brilliant sunlight shone on the mysterious eyes and lips as the sun suddenly appeared from its hiding place high above. Then, everything became as it was. The pale blue curtains continued to flutter delicately in the empty room.

* * *

(1) There is a double meaning here. I'm not very familiar with go, but I do know that if your stones form "two eyes," your group will live regardless of what your opponent did. In a game between pros such as Hikaru and Yongha, whether a particular group lived or died can determine the outcome of the game. In case I was being too subtle here, I was trying to say that Hikaru was trying to find a way to kill Yongha's group and if there was a way, Hikaru might have been able to win the match.

* * *

A/N: Details, details, details. I'm so obsessed with writing details and delving into the character's psyche (even with some of the minor ones) that as a result, my story is crawling at a snail's pace. -.-; However, I see this as a necessary evil since we need to know exactly what Yongha and Hikaru were thinking right after the Hokuto Cup right?? 

Hikaru is a pretty complicated character to portray. I see him as having matured quite a bit since Sai's disappearance and the Hokuto Cup competition. But yet, he is still prone to fits of childishness and can be extremely emotional. Poor Hikaru, he still does not know that he will meet Yongha sooner than he thinks. He really should be practicing with Akira instead of moping in his room. ha ha ha...

Sai, I LOVE Sai. I was so sad when he disappeared and I was hysterically crying during the dream sequence between him and Hikaru. lachesis busts out her hankie I don't know how big Sai's part is. He may or may not appear again. It all depends on how the story goes.

So far, the first two chapters are slow because they set up for things to come. I'm going to try to pick up the pace a bit in the next chapter. Expect more things to happen!!

Of course, comments are always welcomed! :-)


	3. Moving On

Disclaimer: Same as before

* * *

**Chapter Three: Moving On**

The small cozy kitchen in the Shindou household was a living testimony to Mitsuko's dedication to her family. Pots and pans sat neatly in a row on an easily assessable shelf above the stovetop. Their stainless steel surface sparkled like new. The exterior of the walnut-finished cabinets was free from oily residue; the kitchen counter was organized and lacked clutter, and the yellow tiles of the kitchen gleamed cheerfully with a housewife's pride.

Not that the men in my family would have noticed anyway, Mitsuko thought with a small sigh as she took a small sip from her steaming mug of black coffee from behind her newspaper.

Slowly, Mitsuko lowered her newspaper by several inches as her dark gray eyes darted a discreet look at her son who sat diagonally across from her eating his breakfast. Mitsuko's sharp eyes noted that the rims of Hikaru's eyes were slightly red and puffy as if he had been crying, but otherwise, Hikaru appeared to be behaving normally. The dazzling Hikaru smile was back on his face while he wolfed down his mushroom omelet and home fries with his usual speed and enthusiasm.

I suppose eating quickly becomes a habit when you're always late, Mitsuko thought with a sigh as she smoothed back a strand of hair that had escaped from the bun at the nape of her neck. I can't seem to stop sighing whenever the matter concerned Hikaru, Mitsuko thought as she took another sip of her black coffee. But, I'm really glad that he finally cheered up.

Hikaru squirted a generous amount of ketchup onto his omelet and home fries and ate them with gusto. For some reason, the breakfast tasted especially good this morning. Hikaru smiled happily. Then again, everything seemed so much brighter as well. This must mean that I have locked myself away for way too long, Hikaru thought as he ate a big forkful of home fries. I should give Waya and Isumi-san a call to see what's up.  
  
A loud ringing sound from the hallway near the entrance pierced the quiet of the morning. Since Hikaru did not seem inclined to answer the phone, Mitsuko set down her newspaper with a small sigh and padded over to the phone in her fluffy pink house slippers.

"Shindou residence," Mitsuko answered in her cheerful polite voice.

"Oh... good morning Shindou-san. This is Waya Yoshitaka. I am one of Shindou's friends from the Japanese Go Institute. Can I speak to Shindou, er... I mean Shindou-kun, please?" Waya asked, stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar form of address.

"Oh, it's Waya-kun, right? Hikaru's having breakfast. Can you wait a minute while I get Hikaru on the phone?"

"Of course. Thank you, Shindou-san."

Mitsuko carefully set the receiver down on the little stand next to the phone's dial pad and returned to her seat at the dining room table.

"Hikaru. It's Waya-kun on the phone," Mitsuko said lightly as she watched for Hikaru's reaction.

Hikaru's head perked up at the name and quickly abandoned the toast that he had been chewing on and left it on top of his helping of home fries as he hurried to where the phone was.

Yes, he's definitely recovered, Mitsuko thought as a wave of relief washed through her. Hikaru had been refusing to answer the phone for this entire week.

"Yeah, what's up Waya?" Hikaru asked brightly.

"Hey Shindou! It's about time that I got a hold of you. Where the heck have you been?!" Waya spoke loudly into the phone. There was a tinge of annoyance and concern in his voice.

"Here and there," Hikaru answered noncommittally as he winced at his friend's loud voice. "What's up?"

Waya knew that it was useless to pry information from Hikaru unless Hikaru was willing to talk, so he forged on ahead with the reason for his call.

"Isumi-san, Honda-san, Fuku, Nase and I are planning to have a study session this morning at ten at the go institute to practice for next week's Young Lions Tournament. Think you'll be interested?"

"Oh! The Young Lions Tournament is coming up. I totally forgot!" Hikaru exclaimed.

"Uh-huh. Thought so. So what else is new?" Waya answered sarcastically.

The sarcasm was totally lost on Hikaru.

"Yeah! That sounds like fun. It must have been ages since I last talked to Fuku, Nase and Honda-san! I can't wait until I whoop your ass over the go board!" Hikaru gushed enthusiastically.

It's been ages since you last spoke to Isumi-san and me as well and you practically ran away from us when we tried to ask you out to lunch this week! Waya thought inwardly. Before that, you were too busy practicing with Touya and Yashiro for the Hokuto Cup. Waya quickly quashed the envy that accompanied his last thought.

"Whoop my ass?! You've been hanging around with that stuck-up Touya Akira way too much lately and he's messed with your brain. Don't think you can get on a high horse just because you got into the Hokuto Cup! I'm the one who's going to whoop your ass today!" Waya yelled back over the phone. 

"Oh yeah? Is that a challenge? I'll make you eat your words!" Hikaru replied loudly, a big grin appearing on his attractive boyish features.

"Talk is cheap. Get your butt over here at ten. Loser buys lunch!"

"You're on! I can smell that ramen already!"

"Dream on!" The phone clicked lightly as Waya disconnected.

Hikaru replaced the receiver on its cradle and resumed his seat at the dining room table. From across the table in the small cozy kitchen, Mitsuko glanced at her son with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Mom, I'm going to meet with Waya and the others at the institute at ten this morning," Hikaru said as he hastily finished his toast and home fries while trying not to choke.

Mitsuko looked up at the clock on the wall right by the dining room table and said in her motherly tone, "It's nearly nine. You better get going soon or you're going to be late again."

Hikaru nodded quickly as he drank his orange juice in one big gulp. "Thanks for the meal!" Hikaru called out as he quickly bounced out of his chair and ran up the stairs two steps at a time into his room.

Back inside his room, Hikaru quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans and put on his favorite yellow and black plaid shirt over his white t-shirt. He quickly pulled a hairbrush several times through his blond bangs and chestnut-colored hair without bothering to check the results with a mirror. He then proceeded to unzipped his brightly colored yellow and black backpack and dumped the contents onto the beige rug to sort out what he needed and did not need for the day. While doing so, he noticed that there was a piece of note paper stuck to his volume of _tsumego_.

Hikaru scanned the note quickly and smacked a palm loudly on his knee. Thank god for the note, Hikaru thought. Otherwise, for sure I'm going to forget that I was suppose to meet Touya at his father's go salon to practice for the Young Lions Tournament at three, Hikaru thought with a quick nod. After that disaster at Hokuto last week, the Young Lions was the furthest thing from my mind, Hikaru thought while scratching the back of his head. Oh well, it's a good thing that Touya and I are meeting this afternoon instead of this morning since I already promised Waya to show up for his study session. I'll never hear the end of it if I stood Touya up. Hikaru shuddered slightly as he imagined the full glare of Touya's mean game face directed at him. Nope, I don't want that to happen now do I? Hikaru thought with a wry grin.

Last Sunday afternoon, after Hikaru had finished, and won, his private match against Hon Suyon at the go salon owned by the Korean pro's uncle, Hikaru told Akira flat out that he did not want to meet with him for any games this week. Hikaru left hastily to avoid the obligation of giving Akira a lengthy explanation for his behavior. Several days later on game day Wednesday, Akira caught Hikaru loitering in an obscure corner of the go institute.

As usual, one minute I was alone with my cold soda minding my own business and the next minute, out popped Touya yelling out my name from right behind me, Hikaru thought with a perplexed expression on his face as he recalled how startled he was when he whirled around to see Akira glaring at him with his turquoise-colored eyes. I could never figure out how he did that. I mean, I even tried to stay on a floor that relatively few people went to, Hikaru thought with a frown. Oh well.

Ultimately, angry words were exchanged, which included an accusation from Hikaru that Akira was stalking him at the go institute. However, Akira refused to leave and persisted until Hikaru reluctantly promised that they would meet on Saturday to practice for the Young Lions. As an afterthought, Akira scribbled the time and place on a piece of note paper from his bag and forced it on Hikaru.

Geez, the stubbornness of that guy, Hikaru thought with an exasperated sigh. Did Touya really think that I was going to quit go or something? I just needed time alone to think, that's all. If I was going to quit, then I wouldn't even bother showing up for my regular games. Yeah, and Touya would come and hunt me down at home, Hikaru thought with a small smile. I guess I would do the same if our positions were reversed. After all, a good rival is hard to come by.

In swift motions, Hikaru stuffed everything that he thought that he might need for the day into his backpack and pulled the black zipper shut.

Hikaru glanced around the room for a final check to see whether he had forgotten anything. His gray-green eyes fell on the half-recreated game on the go board.

I guess I should clean the stones off since I'm done analyzing this game, Hikaru thought as he raised his hands in a motion to scoop the stones off.

Hikaru's jaw fell open and his hands froze in mid-air as he stared wide-eyed at the formations on the board. A trickle of sweat ran down his right temple. Hikaru noticed instantly that there was something different about the game. During the Hokuto competition, Hikaru played black while Yongha played white. Inexplicably, there was now a black stone in a location that Hikaru had dismissed this past week because he thought that the hand was too weak. Now, as he stared at the stone, he could see that if he had timely played this move and then everything else correctly, it was possible to thwart Ko Yongha's attempt to form two eyes in about ten moves. In other words, there was a chance that Hikaru could have won. However, the move was so subtle that even Hikaru failed to see its potential until now.

How did that stone get there? Hikaru thought, thoroughly confused. Could it be...?! Hikaru quickly quashed the thought. No, it cannot be! Maybe I accidentally knocked a black stone onto the board when I was pounding the floor earlier, Hikaru thought as he contemplated the possibility. Yes, that's probably it, Hikaru nodded slowly, half convinced at his explanation. That sure was a freakishly lucky break though. 

Hikaru turned his head to look at the time displayed on the VCR and all further thoughts flew out of his mind when it read 9:14. Was it that late already? Where did the time go? If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late again, Hikaru thought in a rush. I'll ponder over that move later, Hikaru decided. Hurriedly, Hikaru picked up his backpack and ran downstairs at full speed for the door.

Mitsuko was already standing by the door, waiting for Hikaru while wiping her hands dried with a small kitchen towel. Hikaru rushed right passed his mother without turning to look at her.

"Oh yeah, I'm going to meet with Touya later today to practice for a tournament," Hikaru said quickly as he stepped out of his house slippers and bent slightly to reach for his brightly colored sneakers.

"Another tournament? Didn't you just finished one?" Mitsuko's slightly plump features frown with disapproval.

"Um," Hikaru answered without looking up as he struggled into his sneakers. He had long given up on trying to explain the technicalities of the professional go system to his mother.

"Are you going to be home for dinner?" Mitsuko fretted with motherly concern.

"Yeah. I think so," Hikaru replied quickly as he knelt down on one knee to tied the laces to his sneaker.

"You think so? Why don't you give me a call when you're about to leave so I'll know whether to cook your share of the dinner," Mitsuko complained, somewhat nettled at Hikaru's vague answer.

"Um," Hikaru replied without thinking as he tied the laces to the other foot of his sneaker.

He'll probably forget to call, why do I even bother to ask? Mitsuko touched her fingertips to her right temple and rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

"I'm heading out!" Hikaru called as he jumped up, grabbed his backpack and flew out the door, slamming it hard behind him.

"Have a good day!" Mitsuko answered reflexively to the closed door. Mitsuko raised a hand to smooth a strand of hair from her face and mentally began to check off a list of chores that needed to be done for the day.

She sighed.

--0--0--0--

"Dream on!" Waya shouted into the phone.

"I take it that Shindou is showing up," Isumi said as he looked at Waya's worked up expression with unabashed amusement.

Waya hung the receiver of the green payphone up with a resounding ka-cha! as he glared indignantly at his grinning companion. The golden specks in his honey-brown eyes flashed his annoyance. Waya was not sure whether he should be peeved or happy at Hikaru's flippant attitude over the phone.

"Isumi-san, did you know what Shindou said? He said that he was going to whoop my ass over the go board today! The nerve of that guy, just because he made it into the Hokuto Cup doesn't mean that he can walk all over me like a doormat!" Waya spoke loudly with pent up frustration. Well, okay, maybe Shindou is pretty good, Waya thought to himself. "To think, I was actually worried about him when he turned down an invitation for ramen the other day!"

"Oi, oi! Keep your voice down Waya. We're still in the lobby of the go institute you know," Isumi smiled indulgently as he made a motion for Waya to calm down.

Waya looked around and saw that indeed several heads were looking at their direction with a frown. Waya glanced down trying to avoid those prying eyes. His face was slightly flushed as he scratched behind his head with his left hand. Isumi glanced at the top of Waya's reddish brown hair with barely suppressed mirth and said, "Since there's going to be six of us, we better go upstairs and make sure that we get some good seats. I don't want people to be constantly walking around us when we're trying to concentrate."

"Yeah. Sounds like a plan," Waya agreed, eager to leave the lobby.

As Waya followed Isumi to the elevator banks, Waya said quietly, "I'm really glad that Shindou is back."

Isumi turned his head, his dark bangs fell attractively over his smoky-gray eyes, startled at Waya's sudden serious tone.

Waya noticed Isumi's startled reaction and smiled sheepishly. "I mean, hey! Shindou actually turned down ramen! I thought I'll never see the day when that happened. That loss to Ko Yongha must have really hit him hard," Waya said with a grin. "For a moment there, I thought that Isumi-san would have to give him another surprise visit. Heh heh."

Isumi and Waya stood side by side as they waited for the next available elevator. Waya was several inches shorter than Isumi. He was wearing his usual army fatigues with a green jacket and beige denim jeans while Isumi was casually dressed in a blue shirt and jeans.

"Oh. You mean that time when he mysteriously forfeited his matches. Somehow, I didn't get the impression that he was going to quit this time," Isumi answered thoughtfully as he looked up at the indicator lights above the elevator doors.

"Really? I thought he acted almost exactly like that other time, except he showed up for his regular games this time," Waya said as he ruffled his unruly reddish-brown spiky hair, surprised by Isumi's answer.

"Yet, he still managed to win," Isumi pointed out.

"Go figure," Waya grumbled as he pulled a hand roughly through his spiky hair.

The chrome elevator doors in front of them opened and Isumi and Waya entered without hesitation. Waya noticed that there was a contemplative expression on Isumi's calm features as Waya hit the button for the floor that they were heading.

I never told anyone about the exact details of what I saw that day, not even to Waya, Isumi thought as he recalled the day that he had just returned from China and learned from Waya that Shindou had been consistently defaulting his games.

I was waiting for him in his bedroom when the door suddenly swung open and Shindou barged into the room huffing and puffing as if he was expecting someone to be there. The sharp disappointment was evident in Shindou's eyes when he saw that it was only me instead of whomever he thought it was.

The elevator gave a loud ding as they stepped off and walked into the public playing area. They finally settled for a quiet corner where they can easily keep an eye on the comings and goings of people into the room.

Etched in Isumi's mind was the image of Hikaru with an utterly defeated look in his eyes as Isumi tried to convince him to play a game. How Hikaru suddenly broke out crying over a particularly good move that Hikaru himself just played on the board and how the spark of life gradually crept back into Hikaru's eyes and stance. All Isumi knew was that something devastating had happened to Hikaru and that Isumi gave the correct amount of push to help Hikaru overcome his emotional hurdle. Given that Isumi was a discreet person, he kept everything that he saw to himself and never once brought it up with Hikaru or with anyone else again. Isumi knew with a certainty that the look in Hikaru's eyes after his loss at Hokuto was not one of defeat, but was something else altogether.

"Isumi-san?" Waya asked with a questioning look in his honey-brown eyes. A slight frown appearing between his brows.

"Eh? Sorry?" Isumi blinked several times as Waya interrupted his thoughts.

"I said, how about a round of speed go, Isumi-san? We have at least an hour before everyone else showed up," Waya asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, all the while wondering what Isumi was thinking about.

Isumi nodded his assent, slightly embarrassed that he completely spaced out in front of Waya.

"Sure. After watching the Hokuto Cup, I feel like we have to work twice as hard just to stay on the same footing as Shindou. We cannot let him get too far ahead of us, Waya."

"Yeah. I agree. Someone has to keep Shindou in check and that'll be us," Waya grinned broadly as he took the container of go stones in front of him from the go board.

--0--0--0--

"Geez, Isumi-san, I never knew that you were that good at speed go," Waya sighed as he leaned back to stretch on his seat. Isumi had just soundly crushed Waya after their first game.

"I'm actually not that good at it, but it appears that you were too eager to take chances this morning so I was able to take advantage of your openings," Isumi answered with a slight smile.

"I really should take up on Yang Hai-san's offer and study for several months at the Chinese Weiqi Institute to polish up on my game reading skills," Waya grumbled as he cleared his stones off the board.

Isumi's shoulders shook with mirth as he imagined the shocked faces of the Chinese players as they witness two Le Pings (or two Wayas, from Isumi's perspective) play against each other over the go board.

"Isumi-san! That's not funny!" Waya exclaimed. He knew that Isumi must be imagining about him playing with his supposed identical twin Le Ping at the Chinese Go Institute.

"Yes, it is!" Isumi said as he covered his mouth with his hand, struggling, and not too successfully, not to laugh out loud.

"Alright already, Isumi-san!" Waya answered as he shot a dirty look at his friend, amusement was twinkling in Isumi's smoky-gray eyes. Waya thought about the amazed expressions on Team China's faces as they pointed their fingers at him that day at the hotel lobby and called him "Le Ping!" I guess that kid really looks a lot like me, Waya thought with a small sigh as he rolled his eyes at Isumi.

What would it be like to finally meet this Le Ping face to face? Waya thought as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He sweatdropped at the still grinning Isumi. Yes, it ought to be an interesting meeting, Waya conceded with a grin on his face.

* * *

A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! This chapter is substantially more light-hearted than the first two chapters. D Waya! Isumi! Yay!! They're so cute and they're so much fun to write about! (I'll write a yaoi story about them one of these days... heh heh heh..., but gotta finish this saga first... lachesis twiddles her thumbs...does anyone have a good idea for a wayasumi or isumiya story? E-mail me with the suggestion and I'll give you credit for the idea if I actually write it. :-D) 

This story is turning out to be quite a project. 0.0; I think all the major and minor characters from the series will make an appearance at one point or another. ha ha... Well, this is supposed to be a sequel after all.

Feedback anybody?


	4. The Dawn of A New Stage

Disclaimer: Same as before. In addition, I am not affiliated with Kawasaki Motor Corp. and Kawasaki Motor Corp. has nothing to do with Hikaru no Go or with this fan fic. I just liked the name that's all. Don't sue me!

Now, on with the story...

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Dawn of a New Stage**

About a quarter to ten, Nase and Fuku appeared together. They explained that they ran into each other at the entrance of the institute as they sat at the table next to Isumi and Waya. Honda arrived about five minutes later.

"Are we all here?" Nase asked brightly as she looked at the faces around her.

"We're still waiting for Shindou," Isumi answered as he cleared his stones off the go board from his last game with Waya.

"Shindou-kun is showing up? That's great! I haven't spoken to him in ages," Fuku said happily.

"Don't hold your breath. We'll be lucky if he gets here before lunchtime," Waya muttered under his breath as he dropped his stones into the plastic container.

"Now, now. Be nice Waya," Nase chided Waya mildly as she lifted a finely arched eyebrow at him.

"I haven't seen Shindou since the Hokuto Cup. Is he doing alright?" Honda asked Isumi.

"I know that he has been moody lately, but other than that, I have no idea," Isumi shrugged helplessly.

"Heh! I spoke to him on the phone this morning and he sounded fine to me!" Waya said in a huff. He was still somewhat peeved at Hikaru's attitude earlier.

"You never know, Waya," Nase said with a tinge of concern in her voice. "I ran into him the other day and he looked kind of depressed. Well, let's say, very un-Shindou like."

"Shindou-kun is not going to quit again is he?" Fuku asked with a frown, obviously distressed at the idea.

"I highly doubt it, after what he said to Ko Yongha at the end of their match," Honda said as a matter-of-factly as he swept his gaze over the group.

Waya and Isumi nodded in agreement while Fuku and Nase looked puzzled.

Isumi, noting the confusion, briefly recounted to Fuku and Nase of the post-game conversation between Hikaru and Yongha.

--------------------------------------------------

_It was last Saturday, at the end of the day ..._

Waya, Ochi, Honda and I were about to leave the hotel with the intention of holding a post-game discussion of the Hokuto Cup games at Waya's apartment.

At the lobby of the hotel, we saw the Chinese team talking animatedly with each other while walking towards us from the opposite direction. They had apparently just left the gaming area and had also decided to skip out of the closing ceremonies.

"Yang Hai-san!" I greeted Yang Hai politely with a slight bow.

"Hey Isumi! Did you see that game, it was pretty spectacular wasn't it?" Yang Hai asked as he flashed me a big smile.

"Yes, it was," I answered quickly. As much as I liked chatting with Yang Hai, I really wanted to get that post-game discussion started while the impact of the images and emotions were still fresh in my mind. I can tell that Waya and the others were waiting impatiently for me to finish with this nicety.

Yang Hai did not seem to notice my wish to hurry and continued to speak animatedly. Apparently, he was all pumped up from watching Shindou's game.

"I got to hand it to that kid, when Ko Yongha asked him why he wanted to played go, I didn't expect him to answer it that way. It must be the cheesiest thing that I have ever heard," Yang Hai said with feign indifference and a careless shrug.

That got my attention.

After spending those months with Yang Hai in China, I can read his mannerisms well enough to know that Shindou probably said something totally unexpected. As I stole a peek at Waya and the others, it appeared that Yang Hai's farce was obvious enough that even they had picked up on it and were now equally curious.

"So, what did Shindou say?" I asked the question that was expected of me.

Yang Hai gave us a conspiratory wink. With a slight curl on his thin lips and a semi-serious look in his dark eyes, he answered...

_Why do I play go?_

_The answer is clear inside of me. _

_That is - to forge a link between the distant past and the distant future._

_That's the reason I am here_.

--------------------------------------------------

"So, that's what happened," Isumi said as he concluded his narrative.

"Wow! That's pretty deep coming from Shindou," Nase commented with her head cocked to the side in thought, a slender hand under her chin. Her shoulder-length brown fair falling prettily to one shoulder.

"Hell yeah!" Waya agreed wholeheartedly. "My head hurts whenever I tried to make sense of him and his actions. Even Ochi - OCHI of all people - for crying out loud, feels the same way! I don't know whether to call Shindou a genius or an idiot. Sometimes, he makes you wonder how in the world he became a pro anyway, and then, all of a sudden, from totally out of nowhere - whoa! He would say something so deep that it makes you feel like that you gotta sit down and meditate on the statement for the next couple hundred years or so," Waya complained and rubbed his temples with a loud sigh.

"Uh-huh," Fuku nodded vigorously. "I think Shindou-kun is a genius."

Waya looked incredulously at Fuku and thought, well, I did ask for that one.

--0--0--0--

At about ten past ten, the group, not wanting to waste any more time, was about to give up waiting for Hikaru. Hikaru, as if on cue, chose that precise moment to stroll into the room. He immediately spotted the group and waved his hands above his head in greeting.

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm late!" Hikaru gave the group a bright smile as he held his right hand behind his head as a gesture of embarrassment. He dropped his backpack with a soft thump onto the floor and pulled a chair out to sit next to Isumi and across the board from Honda.

"Che! So what else is new?" Waya said crossly as he shot an accusatory glare at Hikaru. The impact of Waya's glare was substantially diminished by a barely suppressed grin on his face.

Waya, Hikaru, Nase and Fuku naturally fell into a lively conversation to catch up on recent events, with Honda getting a word in every now and then. Isumi sat quietly with a smile on his face while listening attentively to their banter and trying to avoid bumping into Hikaru's head whenever Hikaru leaned his upper body across Isumi's table to talk to Fuku.

Isumi quietly observed Hikaru's interaction with the group. His keen eyes noted that Hikaru's cheerful demeanor was genuine, not forced. Isumi's smile broadened. Honda watched Hikaru and then gave an almost imperceptible nod to Isumi. Apparently, Honda agreed with his observation as well. As Waya said earlier, it's good to have Shindou back.

Now that everyone has gathered, it's time to get down to business, Isumi thought.

--0--0--0--

Around one o'clock, the group was mentally exhausted from the intense study session. Nase and Fuku excused themselves since they promised the other insei's ahead of time that they were going to meet with them for lunch. After that, they planned to undergo additional study sessions with the insei's in anticipation of the Young Lions Tournament. Honda left shortly after Nase and Fuku because he had to help out at his sensei's seminar, which left Hikaru, Waya and Isumi. Hikaru's stomach decided to fill the moment of silence with a loud protest.

"Ramen! Ramen!" Hikaru said with a big grin on his face.

"Sushi! Sushi!" Waya demanded.

"Ramen I say! I didn't get a chance to play against you today since Honda-san and Isumi-san took up all of my time this morning," Hikaru insisted with a cute pout.

"No fair! How come it's ramen just because I didn't get to play you? It should be sushi!" Waya challenged.

"We didn't get to play because you were too busy trying to beat Fuku!" Hikaru taunted gleefully.

"Look who's talking! I finished my game with Isumi-san ages ago! If you hadn't wasted all that time trying to figure out Honda-san's strategy, I wouldn't have been playing Fuku!" Waya retorted, his face was slightly flushed at Hikaru's implied insult that he was still weak in a game against Fuku.

"Hah! I won against Honda-san, didn't I?" Hikaru shot Waya a sidelong glance showing off his white teeth while wiggling his eyebrows up and down in a comical fashion.

Waya was seething with frustration by this point. He knew that Honda had been working extremely hard since his loss to Yashiro several months ago. Honda, although overshadowed by some of his more well-known peers, lurked quietly like a predator in the shadows. Waya had no doubt that Honda will be a formidable obstacle at the next major tournament.

"Ra-men!" Hikaru said enthusiastically, taking advantage of Waya's moment of silence.

"You wish! We're going for sushi! You could have waited for me to finish with Fuku. You knew that games with him are always quick."

"Why should I wait? How did I know that you weren't going to go for a rematch if you lost? Anyway, Isumi-san was available."

"I didn't lose to Fuku! I won both games!"

"See! You did play another game!" Hikaru said while sticking his tongue at Waya.

Waya was now having a hard time resisting the urge to throttle his numb-skull friend.

"Ra-men!" Hikaru said loudly to Waya's face.

"Su-shi!" Waya responded equally loudly to Hikaru's face.

"RA-MEN!" Hikaru shouted while standing his ground.

"SU-SHI!" Waya shouted, refusing to budge from his position.

"Oi, oi! Enough is enough!" Isumi said as he held his hands up between them, playing the familiar role of referee. "Waya, I won against both you and Shindou today so I get to pick the place," Isumi said while carefully emphasizing the word "I."

Hikaru and Waya glowered at each other. Finally, both nodded reluctantly.

"McDonald's," Isumi said with finality. The people who had been sitting near them shook their heads and returned to their respective games. Isumi felt himself burn alternatively with embarrassment and amusement as he overheard one older man muttering something about teenage boys and their disrespect for go.

Apparently, not everyone recognized Shindou, Isumi thought.

Inwardly, Isumi thanked god that he was the winner today, because he did not feel like being stared at anymore than he had to or having to spend an exorbitant amount of money on lunch. On a different note, yes, it is still possible to win against Shindou, Isumi thought, satisfied with his performance today. Although, the odds of that happening seems to be getting smaller and smaller.

"Isumi-san, you still could have said sushi," Waya said with exaggerated disappointment.

Not a chance, Isumi thought as he smiled to himself.

--0--0--0--

"Shindou-kun! Isn't it Shindou-kun over there?" a familiar voice called out as Hikaru, Waya and Isumi stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. Hikaru instinctively turned to the direction of the voice. A man wearing a wrinkly gray business suit that looked a size too big for his short frame and a drab brown tie was walking energetically towards them. Hikaru immediately recognized the man's protruding front teeth. This was the reporter who had been covering the news on the Hokuto Cup for the Weekly Go.

"Um...good afternoon," Shindou answered awkwardly with a slight bow, trying to remember the reporter's name without making his lapse of memory too obvious.

"Shindou-kun. We've met a couple of times before. I'm Kosemura from the Weekly Go. I was hoping that I would run into you today. This saves me the trouble of trying to find you," Kosemura said as he beamed at Hikaru.

Kosemura. Yes, that's it, Hikaru made a mental note of the reporter's name.

"Eh... Kosemura-san, you were looking for me?" Shindou questioned, slightly bewildered. It was not every day that he had a reporter specifically tracking him down especially when there was nothing noteworthy in his schedule of games. Kosemura continued to beam broadly and nodded enthusiastically. Kosemura's short unkempt hair flopped erratically.

The press sure is taking an interest in the exploits of Shindou, Waya thought enviously and he shot a glance at Isumi-san that spoke his thoughts. Isumi returned an understanding smile in response.

Kosemura unzipped the black folder under his left arm and handed Shindou a sheet of paper that looked like some sort of flyer.

Hikaru's gray-green eyes grew as wide as saucers and his jaws fell open as he read the contents of the flyer. He seemed to be stunned speechless. Waya, puzzled at Hikaru's reaction, walked behind him and looked curiously over his shoulder.

The flyer screamed out in large bold letters "The Kawasaki Championship." Under the title, in a smaller but equally loud font, the flyer blared "Japan-China-Korea Young Stars Team Battle sponsored by the Kawasaki Motor Corporation" Waya's eyes popped open. They were now as large as Hikaru's. Waya continued to scan eagerly down the page, squinting to make out some of the smaller print that was blurred during the fax transmission process. According to the flyer, the tournament will be a two-day affair, taking place at a classy hotel in Tokyo on September 19-20.

In four months! Waya thought as the information slowly sank into his brain. He felt light-headed and slightly out of focus. The tingling sensation of goose bumps spreading on his arms as he shook with excitement.

"Shindou? Waya?" Isumi asked with concern, now thoroughly baffled by the stunned expressions on both Hikaru and Waya's faces. Kosemura looked extremely pleased with the reaction that he was getting from the flyer. Wordlessly, Kosemura handed Isumi another flyer from his folder.

A trickle of sweat dropped down Hikaru's temple. His hands trembled as he stared in disbelief at the bold letters on the flyer.

Is this possible? Is this for real? Hikaru thought as emotions whirled crazily within him.

Hikaru stood rooted in the lobby, dumbstruck, and was compulsively reading and rereading the flyer to make sure that he was not missing any crucial details.

"He's ... he's going to be there too, isn't he?" Hikaru stuttered, the speed of his thoughts far exceeded his ability to voice them.

Kosemura nodded eagerly. He knew precisely who "he" was.

"Where do I sign up?" Hikaru demanded harshly, his manners flying out the window in his urgency. His heart was pounding as if he had been running for dear life and his face was completely flushed. There was a desperate look in his eyes and in his stance as he waited impatiently for Kosemura's response.

"That's why I was looking for you," Kosemura said simply. "I heard via the grapevine that the sponsors were considering issuing you and Touya-kun invitations to the Kawasaki Championship."

Hikaru blinked and stared at Kosemura blankly.

"What he means, Shindou, is that if you get an invitation, you are automatically in the tournament without having to go through the preliminary rounds," Isumi explained patiently.

"Geez, Shindou! Haven't you learned anything yet? I can't believe how ignorant you still are," Waya cried in disbelief. He felt like shaking Hikaru and smacking some sense into him right then and there in front of the reporter. Some genius that Hikaru was turning out to be!

Hikaru's face turned a shade redder as he shot a dirty look at Waya. He was about to fire back an acid-loaded retort, but thought better of it. There will be time for that later, Hikaru thought. The most important thing right now was to get as much information as possible about this Kawasaki Championship.

"How does the invitation system work?" Shindou asked Kosemura with genuine interest while pointedly ignoring Waya.

"For privately sponsored tournaments, the sponsor can, and often does, set different rules of eligibility. Most sponsors, like Hokuto Communications, just wanted the best players available for their type of tournament and would not directly involved themselves in the team selection process. However, there are some sponsors who would specifically invite certain players because they think that the presence of those players would give their event a boost in the advertising department. Since it is expensive to host a tournament, it would be to the sponsors' advantage to do anything in their power to maximize the potential number of their audience," Kosemura paused to take a breath. His eyes lighted up at having claimed a rapt audience.

Hikaru was not interested in the economics of the tournament. He just wanted to know how he can get on the team.

"In the case of Kawasaki Motor Corp., it wants to take advantage of the extensive media coverage and the residual enthusiasm left in the wake of the Hokuto Cup. I've also heard rumors that Kawasaki has been thinking about such an event even before Hokuto came about, but Hokuto beat them to it. Now that Hokuto was so successful, Kawasaki's management is extremely eager to take the same path and to satisfy the sharp increase in demand for similar types of competitions. I have it on pretty reliable sources that Kawasaki plans to invite many of the same players to their tournament. However, the composition of the teams will not be exactly the same just to keep things fresh and interesting. In any case, it's going to feel a lot like a Hokuto Cup rematch," Kosemura gushed on excitedly.

Hokuto Cup rematch? The three young men stared at each other. Although each was undoubtedly thinking of the same thing, the impact of the realization seemed all that much stronger when it was voiced out loud.

But, I'm probably going to be a mere observer again because of the age restriction, Isumi thought. His shoulders drooped a little at the depressing thought.

"Ne, Isumi-san," Waya said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Hm?" Isumi answered guardedly, he did not miss the glint in Waya's eyes. He wondered why the redhead looked so smug all of a sudden.

"It says here in fine print that the maximum age limit for the Kawasaki Championship is twenty..." Waya let his voice trailed off as he waited gleefully for Isumi's reaction.

Isumi sighed. Yes, that means ... twenty?! Isumi stared closely at the blurred print on his own flyer and sure enough, the age limit was twenty.

"That means I am eligible for this tournament!" Isumi exclaimed, his usual mask of calm shattered. He felt like giving Waya a big kiss, a crushing bear hug, and holding Waya's hands while jumping up and down and shouting out for joy all at the same time.

Okay, Isumi didn't exactly wanted to do all of that, but he was extremely happy.

"Geez, Isumi-san, it sure took you long enough. You're almost as slow as Shindou on the uptake today," Waya teased.

"Hey! Watch what you're saying Waya! I can cream you at go any day!" Shindou said, pretending to sound hurt.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Waya and Shindou looked like they were about to start another scene at the lobby of the Japanese Go institute. Isumi waved his hands helplessly between them as he tried to prevent Waya and Hikaru from further embarrassing themselves in front of the reporter.

Just as Waya was about to say something insulting to Hikaru, Kosemura coughed politely. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him. Waya and Shindou looking a little flushed in their faces. Clearly, they had completely forgotten that the reporter was still standing there and was now looking at them with an odd expression on his face.

If I haven't seen them play with my own eyes before, I would never believe, in a million years, that these kids are professional go players, Kosemura thought and sweatdropped.

"The promotional flyer was faxed to our office late yesterday. Since today is a Saturday, we'll have to wait until Monday morning to confirm with Kawasaki as to the status of the invitations," Kosemura said while falling into in his business-like tone and tactfully ignoring the flushed faces before him.

"So there's no guarantee that I'm automatically in?" Hikaru asked intently as he absently stuffed the flyer into his backpack.

"Nothing is guaranteed," Kosemura agreed. "Especially since Kawasaki's management made it clear that they preferred not to have the same exact players in its tournament. However, they do understand that circumstances may be beyond their control."

"I would say that the chances of you getting an invitation may even be better than that of Touya-kun's because Kawasaki was really impressed by the ratings that Hokuto got from the match between you and Ko Yongha," Kosemura said as he stared up at the ceiling while scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Hikaru's eyes harden at the mention of the Korean pro. Whether Ko Yongha's insult of Shuusaku was intentional or not, the fact remained that Ko Yongha went out of his way to smear Shuusaku and Sai's good name. He was going to take full advantage of this opportunity to get even with Ko Yongha at this coming battle.

"It doesn't matter whether I get an invitation or not, one way or the other, I am going to be in the tournament and I will win for sure this time," Hikaru said evenly. His gray-green eyes burned with intense determination.

Kosemura was taken aback at the abrupt change in Hikaru's tone and demeanor.

He may be a kid in everything else, but he certainly is not when it comes to go - and Honinbou Shuusaku, Kosemura mused.

"Yes, that's the spirit," Kosemura beamed with approval. "There will be at least one or two spots available for grabs at the qualifying rounds even if you don't get picked with an invitation."

Hikaru grinned broadly at the statement.

"It's probably going to take at least a week or so before you receive the official notification through the mail. If you like, you can call me at my office Monday morning and I'll let you know whether you are on the list for an invitation. The Weekly Go usually gets notified first since we need to prepare the article in advance," Kosemura explained.

Hikaru was surprised that Kosemura would go out of his way to help him. He bowed deeply to Kosemura and said formally, "Thank you very much. I would really appreciate that and I will definitely call you Monday morning."

Kosemura caught Hikaru's astonished expression and with clenched fists in front of his chest, he said dramatically, "I can't stand Ko Yongha. I want you to cream him at the Kawasaki Championship!" Three pairs of eyes blinked at the reporter's unexpected outburst. Kosemura smiled nervously and raised his right hand to scratch his head in embarrassment.

Hikaru broke into a big grin, "Don't worry. I plan to do exactly that."

Kosemura nodded happily, "By the way, good luck on the Young Lions Tournament next week. Touya-kun has clinched the win for the last three consecutive years, how confident do you feel?"

"I plan to cream him too," Hikaru said with a smirk.

Waya shot a look at Hikaru that read 'Yeah right!'

After Kosemura bid his farewells, Hikaru and Waya spoke nonstop about how well they were going to do at the Kawasaki Championship while Isumi lagged slightly behind them with a subdued expression on his face as they set off for the McDonald's nearby.

* * *

A/N: Ah... yes, the obligatory ramen/sushi fight. I just can't resist! They're so cute! I sneaked in a little isumiya fluff in there, I hope it's ok. --; 

Again, I'm not a go expert (as much as I wish I am). I know that there are a good number of invitational tournaments, but the players are usually invited according to their overall record, just like what happened to Akira at the Hokuto Cup. I figure since the sponsor paid good money for advertising, they should be able to pick out, within reason, a player that they really wanted for their competition, ne?

Chibi hikaru-chan just asked me: Akira? Where's Akira?

Er hmm... good question. Well, he's still kind of tied up right now. You know, him being anti-social and all. But, I will definitely pick his brains regarding the Hokuto Cup and the Kawasaki once we get there!

This chapter came pretty quickly, because it has been swimming in my mind for awhile now and it's good to let it all out in print. Urgh! It took me four chapters to get to this point and now it's finally starting to get interesting. So, who will make it on Team Japan at the Kawasaki Championship?? Who will get an invitation? How will the Young Lions Tournament turn out?

Stay tuned...

Any comments on the direction that this story is going? I'll like to hear what you think! Thanks!

Special thanks to **Lyeza** (especially you **Lyeza**!), **z3nith**, **Precognition74** and **Lucathia** for giving multiple reviews!!! hugs I know it sounds cheesy, but your reviews really keep me going!


	5. I Will Not Lose!

Disclaimer: Same as before.

Big thanks to people who have heard my shameless pleas for reviews. 0.0; Please check out my new section at the end of this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Five: I Will Not Lose! **

The McDonald's that Hikaru, Waya and Isumi often frequented was more crowded than expected. The fine Saturday afternoon encouraged many parents and grandparents to take their young ones out for a treat.

"Che! We should have gone for sushi!" Waya muttered crossly as he scanned the noisy dining area impatiently for available seats. Finally, several seats by the storefront windows opened up when an elderly couple and a young child stood up to leave.

Without waiting for his companions, Waya hurried over with his tray of food. He was determined to be the first to claim those seats. Hikaru followed automatically with a light spring in his steps.

Hikaru turned his head to say something to Isumi, but then realized with a start, that the dark hair pro was still standing by the cash registers looking down at the floor.

"Hey! Isumi-san!" Hikaru called to Isumi in a loud energetic voice. Half the store must have heard him.

"Oh!" Isumi glanced up with a sheepish smile as he hastened to catch up. The small smile was replaced by a troubled look as soon as Hikaru turned the other way. Nevertheless, more than a few female customers threw appreciative glances at the unsmiling Isumi as he walked by.

"Ne ne... did you see that hottie?" a young woman in her mid-twenties said in a low voice as her eyes covertly followed Isumi's movements. She was answered by a bout of girlish giggles from her friends.

As soon as Hikaru sat down, he pulled the Kawasaki promotional flyer from his backpack and carefully straightened it out next to his tray on the small table. He looked excitedly down at the flyer and hummed softly under his breath as his hands deftly unwrapped his burger. Waya looked contemplatively at Hikaru from across the table as he unwrapped his own burger.

As usual, everyone is interested in Shindou, Waya thought as his gaze fell on the flyer. Yeah. There's something compelling about him that attracts people to him, Waya thought as he took a big bite from his burger. Strange. I've often wondered why I don't feel more jealous of him, heavens, I think I should! Waya sighed as he shook his spiky red hair. On the other hand, Touya is a totally different story. My blood boils just by looking at him. So, what's the difference? I really don't get it. Man! I hate it whenever I start to think like this. This line of thinking gets me nowhere. I really shouldn't dwell on it, Waya told himself sternly.

"Oi, Shindou. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" Waya asked casually as he pointed at the flyer.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hikaru asked, surprised.

"How do you expect to cream Touya if you can't even beat Isumi-san?" Waya asked with a smirk. He was enjoying the indignant expression on Hikaru's face.

"Che! That was only today! Anyway, I don't see us having sushi right now!" Hikaru retorted as he scowled at Waya.

Waya grinned.

"Ne, Isumi-san. It looks like we're gonna be counting on you to cream Touya at the Young Lions," Waya said as he leaned back on his seat.

There was no response.

"Isumi-san?" Waya asked as he turned to look at Isumi. The dark hair pro looked unnaturally subdued and his lunch remained untouched. Now that Waya thought about it, Isumi had barely said a word since they left the institute.

"Isumi-san?" Waya repeated, a little louder this time. Even Hikaru noticed the brooding expression on Isumi's face. As if waking from a dream, Isumi looked at Hikaru and Waya with a confused expression. A light blush stained Isumi's cheeks as he remembered where he was.

"I'm sorry. Were you saying something Waya?" Isumi asked in a slightly flustered voice.

"Not really. I was just wondering whether you were okay since you seemed to be so out of it just now," Waya answered.

"Oh. It's nothing," Isumi said with an embarrassed laugh. Waya and Hikaru did not look convinced.

"Something is bothering you. We're friends right? You can tell us," Waya urged. Hikaru nodded his assent.

Isumi sighed to himself as he looked up at the ceiling. He was so transparent. His friends, especially Waya, always managed to notice whenever something was bothering him. He probably won't hear the end of it until Waya dragged it out of him.

"I was thinking about the Kawasaki Championship," Isumi began hesitantly.

"What about it? I thought you would be really excited since you didn't get to compete for the Hokuto Cup," Waya said, confused by Isumi's downcast expression.

"I am excited," Isumi said carefully.

"You sure don't sound like it," Waya said, now more confused than ever.

"According to the rules, Japan, Korea and China will each get to send three players to the Kawasaki, correct?" Isumi asked quietly as he looked first at Waya and then at Hikaru.

Both Waya and Shindou nodded mutely.

"If Kosemura-san is correct, two of the slots have already been filled by invitation - one by Touya and the other by Shindou, which means ...," Isumi let his voice trail off.

"Which means that you, me and the rest of the pros twenty and under will be pitted against each other to fight for that one remaining spot," Waya finished for Isumi in an equally serious tone. "Yeah, I know."

Isumi nodded solemnly.

Hikaru shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Shindou, it's okay. Invitations are given out all the time," Waya assured Hikaru with a small smile, but his voice betrayed his disappointment.

Isumi nodded in agreement as he looked kindly at Hikaru.

Hikaru lowered his head. His blond bangs fell forward to hide his face from Waya and Isumi. He was so psyched at getting a second chance to play against Ko Yongha that he never gave a second thought about his friends. Based on what Kosemura said earlier, he did get the impression that his proposed invitation was based more on commercial value than on actual merit. Although he had done well since his return from that horrendous string of defaults, his overall record still paled in comparison to pros like Touya and Ochi.

As much as I want to play against Ko Yongha, this isn't the way to do it, Hikaru thought as he wrestled with the whirl of complicated emotions within him. This isn't fair to Waya or Isumi-san. I want the whole world to know that I'm at the Kawasaki because I've earned the right to be there and not because I'm some poster boy to be brandished about. If Sai was here, he would have felt the same way.

"Shindou? Are you alright?" Waya asked as he tried to peer at Hikaru's expression.

This is absolutely ironic, Hikaru thought wryly. Now that I'm finally getting my wish to play a rematch against Ko Yongha, I'm practically throwing it away. This unfathomable sense of pride must be what Ochi felt when he insisted on playing against Yashiro at the Hokuto qualifying round.

Hikaru had decided.

"I'll turn down the invitation if Kawasaki ever decides to offer it to me," Hikaru said with deceptive calmness as he looked at Waya squarely in the face.

"Say what?!" Waya exclaimed loudly as he unconsciously stood and slammed his hands on his tray, his honey-brown eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you crazy?!"

"I will not lose!" Hikaru spat forcefully as he stared Waya down.

--0--0--0--

"Akira-kun!" Ichikawa greeted Touya Akira cheerfully from behind her counter as Akira stepped into his father's go salon. Ichikawa's amber-colored eyes greedily took in the sight of Akira in a custom-tailored navy business suit, which impeccably showed off his slim, but undisputedly masculine figure. The ensemble was set off to perfection by a crisp white shirt and a patterned yellow tie.

The ends of Akira's forest-green hair swished softly against his jaw line as he turned to give Ichikawa a quick smile. Ichikawa felt herself blush like an infatuated schoolgirl under his smile as she quickly raised her hands to cover her cheeks. Akira was so used to Ichikawa's little quirks by now that he did not think twice about her behavior.

Ichikawa allowed her gaze to sweep quickly over Akira's smooth face which had grown more angular and infinitely more captivating as he matured. She noted with some concern at the hints of tiredness around his eyes which he sought to mask with his smile. "You really should take it easy on the weekends after your tutorial go sessions," Ichikawa said with mild disapproval as she crossed her arms across her chest. She made it her business to know Akira's schedule by heart.

Akira nodded obligingly and said, "I guess you're right Ichikawa-san."

Today had been a long and unpleasant day so far. Akira was stuck playing tutorial go with several high-powered executives at a major corporation. As soon as he walked into the plush office, Akira recognized the type immediately. Those executives were arrogant. They were the kind of men who had a penchant for go only because they were led to believe, by the legion of brownnosers that flittered around them, that they possessed some semblance of genius for the game.

Akira knew from the start that he was not there to play go, but was merely there to stoke egos. Nevertheless, he pasted a smile on his face and bore with it. Ogata taught him long ago that such appointments were necessary because they always paid well and because they were a good way to build connections. Besides, Akira did not want to be a burden on his parents forever. The sooner he became financially independent, the sooner he could distance himself from his father's formidable shadow.

As much as it grated on Akira's nerves, he was obligated for the most part to lose to the executives. Not only did he have to lose, he had to make it look convincing, which drained him far more rapidly than a professional match would have. He had also learned from experience that it was not acceptable to purposely force draws just to avoid losses. Although, if anyone cared to keep count, one would discover that Touya pro tended to draw more games than most professionals in similar situations.

Ichikawa watched as Akira tugged absently at his cuffs. It was a tell-tale sign of Akira's restlessness.

"Akira-kun, why don't you go and take a seat? I'll bring you your tea in a minute," Ichikawa said with a sweet smile that she reserved exclusively for Akira.

Akira smiled at her gratefully and accepted with a polite "thank you."

As Akira walked into the main gaming area, he politely exchanged greetings with some of the regulars as he passed by their table. Without hesitation, Akira chose a table flushed against the wooden paneling of the wall that was situated near the middle of the room. Akira and Hikaru's "usual table" was the result of an unspoken compromise between them. It was semi-private because of the wall on one side, but it was still sufficiently out in the open so that it satisfied Hikaru's need for space. As Hikaru had so eloquently put it, "space" referred to standing room for the salon's customers so that they could comfortably witness the defeats of their young sensei at his hands. Of course, an interesting shouting match broke out after that comment.

So far, Akira rarely lost to Hikaru in a serious private game. However, losses to Hikaru were unavoidable whenever Akira played for the sake of trying out a new move or strategy. After all was said and done, it really did not matter who won or lost as long as they both got a good game and a good "post-game discussion" out of it.

In a swift and graceful motion, Akira shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it neatly across the back of the chair next to him. He reached up to loosen his constricting tie as he pulled a chair to sit down in front of the go board.

Automatically, his hands reached to remove the bowls of black and white stones from the board and set them to his right. Despite his fatigue, Akira had been looking forward to today's private match with Hikaru. As he reached into the bowl for a black stone, he recalled with a chuckle how he had swiftly crushed his opponent on Wednesday so that he can keep an eye on Hikaru and corner him for a game today. Akira did not bother to hide when he was following Hikaru at the go institute, but Hikaru was so oblivious to his surroundings that Akira managed to surprise him once again.

I wonder is Shindou planning to show up today? Or, am I simply wasting my time sitting here? Akira thought as he stared at the go board with a frown while his right hand idly fingered the black stones in the bowl.

Akira leaned his left elbow on the table and rested his chin lightly on his left hand while his right hand remained in the bowl of black stones. To the casual observer, Akira looked like he was deep in thought for the opening move. In actuality, Akira was thinking of the events from a week ago. Specifically, what Akira said to a dejected Hikaru right after his loss to Ko Yongha at the Hokuto Cup.

_This is not the end._

_There is no end._

Instead of answering, Hikaru gave Akira a penetrating look. That look assured Akira that Hikaru was not going to quit go over one loss to Ko Yongha. Well, that was last Saturday.

A day later on Sunday, after Hikaru won his private match against Hon Suyon, Hikaru told Akira flat out that they were not going to meet for their private match this week. Before Akira could utter another word, Hikaru had scurried off. Akira was furious and somewhat anxious. Warning bells went off.

Akira did not like what he saw on Wednesday. Hikaru looked like he had not slept for several days and it was also clear that the blond-hair pro was trying hard to avoid him. By the time Akira caught up with Hikaru at the deserted corridor, it was clear that Hikaru was distracted and that he did not hear a word that Akira said. As a last resort, Akira forced Hikaru to accept a piece of note paper with the time and place of their private match, hoping that Hikaru would come to his senses.

Shindou, always shrouded with a veil of mystery, even your moods are a mystery this week, Akira thought with a scowl.

Akira jumped slightly and was startled out of his reverie by a dull clunk of a teacup being placed on the hard surface of the table.

"Oh! Akira-kun, I'm sorry to have startled you," Ichikawa said apologetically as she hugged her tray to her chest.

Akira smiled and shook his head, the ends of his forest green hair swished lightly against his chin.

"I didn't expect to see you today," Ichikawa said with a bright smile, not that she's not pleased to see him. "Oh that's right! Congratulations! I heard from Kitajima-san that you won both matches against China and Korea in the Hokuto Cup," Ichikawa beamed excitedly.

"Thanks. Ichikawa-san," Akira replied with a small embarrassed smile.

Awww... how sweet, Ichikawa sighed contentedly. That smile _really_ made her day.

Akira did not notice the effect of his smile on Ichikawa. As an afterthought, he added, "Shindou is supposed to show up at three."

Ichikawa nodded in understanding. Why else would Akira-kun be here?

"Speaking of Shindou-kun, I've also heard that he lost both matches at the Hokuto Cup. That was a shame," Ichikawa said, a little bit too loudly.

Kitajima snickered upon overhearing Ichikawa's last statement, prompting him to boom in a loud voice, "Yeah. That brat is nowhere near our young sensei's level!"

Ichikawa shot Kitajima an icy look. She knew that Akira disliked it when customers unjustly disparaged Hikaru.

Kitajima's opponent, Hirose, gave him a mild look and told Kitajima that it was his turn. Kitajima fell silent and frowned in concentration as he studied the change on the board caused by Hirose's last move.

Akira looked up at Ichikawa and said quietly, "Even though Shindou lost to both China and Korea at the Hokuto Cup, he played a private match against Korea's third board and won."

"Oh, really?" Ichikawa said, surprised by the information.

"Yes. Shindou's reputation as a strong player did not suffer as a result of the Hokuto losses. On the contrary, both Korea and China have taken notice of him and will most certainly remember his name in the future," Akira continued in a quiet voice.

"Wow! I guess Shindou-kun is pretty good isn't he?" Ichikawa replied just as quietly, but with a tinge of doubt. She did not want Kitajima to overhear her conversation with Akira lest it set off another bout of Shindou bashing. Personally, Ichikawa believed that Kitajima had a fairly high opinion of Hikaru, but he was too proud and enjoyed bashing Hikaru too much to admit it.

Ichikawa flashed Akira one of her best smiles and said, "Both of you are planning to compete in next week's Young Lions Tournament right?"

Akira nodded.

"It'll be a shame if Shindou-kun breaks your streak of winning the tournament three years in a row," Ichikawa spoke a little louder than she intended.

"Ic-chan! Stop talking nonsense back there!" Kitajima yelled with a scowl on his face.

"I will not lose!" Akira spat forcefully as he glared at the startled Ichikawa with his bright turquoise eyes.

* * *

A/N: Did you like this chapter? For some reason, I had a hard time writing the McDonald's scene. I rewrote it three times with three different outcomes! I ultimately chose the one that I believed had the least OOC-ness and the least ripples down the storyline (we want to read about those games don't we?) D. In case you're wondering, one of the discarded possibilities was Waya getting insanely jealous over the invitation. He and Hikaru exchanged bitter words and ended with Hikaru storming out of the restaurant. :-p I've never seen Waya outright jealous in the series, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. Another time, ne? 

Ichikawa no ecchi! XD Poor woman, all she does is check out Akira at the salon. Ha ha ha... If anyone has ever read the manga, you'll see that Ichikawa really does have the hots for Akira. (Who doesn't?) proudly waves her akira flags

One more thing, some of the conversation between Ichikawa and Akira came straight out of the side story from volume 23 of the manga. I merely embellished it, that's all.

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_Lachesis's shrine to reviewers: _

**Lucathia** - I love reading your reviews (but you knew that already!). I think the storyline was influenced somewhat by your reviews.

**Lyeza** - Thanks for your continuing support! I'm still debating on who gets to go to the Kawasaki and who gets to win the Young Lions...

**mikaii** - You're so sweet! I see you're a Hikaru fan. :-) Don't worry, both Hikaru and Akira will get a chance to shine (and suffer...).

**Kenji14** - Thank you for all of your reviews! I will try my best to keep this up!

**Plutodo** - Thanks! I'm glad that you think so. It's getting harder and harder to get that manga feel since I know so little about go. sigh

**e** - You'll get the Akira/Hikaru argument scene in the next chapter. D

**Night-Owl123** - I'll try to update when I can!

As for people who reviewed chapters 1 & 2. HUGS!


	6. Pride and Rivalry

Disclaimer: Same as before.

As my thanks for your continuous support, I'm pleased to dedicate this chapter to **Lucathia**, **Lyeza**, **mikaii**, **Kenji14** and **Night-Owl123**!!! 

I had a hard time imagining the exchanges between Hikaru and Akira. (-.-); What really goes on in the minds of teenage bishonens totally obsessed with go?! **

* * *

**

**Chapter Six: Pride and Rivalry**

"I won't lose either!" a new voice cut in sharply from behind Ichikawa.

The statement was punctuated by the loud clank of a serving tray hitting the tiled floor. The room fell eerily silent as startled customers paused in their games to ascertain the cause of the disturbance. It did not take long for them to figure out that the noise had something to do with the appearance of Shindou pro who was presently standing impatiently in the middle of the main gaming area. By now, it was common knowledge among the regulars that their young sensei and his rival were a volatile combination.

A long sigh escaped someone's lips from a far corner of the room. Within seconds, the crisp rhythmic sound of go stones being played on wooden boards once again filled the room as if nothing had happened.

Ichikawa blushed furiously as she nervously smoothed the front of her red and white checkered apron with the palm of her hands.

What's the matter with those two today? Ichikawa thought with a frown as she struggled to regain her composure. It seems that they're both out for blood just now.

She smiled prettily as she apologized profusely to the room in general for the distraction. Hastily, she stooped to pick up her fallen tray and lightly stepped aside to let Hikaru through the narrow space between the chairs. As she did so, Ichikawa stole a quick look at the clock on the wall and found that it was only a quarter to three.

Hikaru dropped his backpack carelessly on the floor and unceremoniously pulled a chair to sit across from Akira. Akira looked contemplatively at his long-awaited opponent and noted immediately that there was an unmistakable glint of challenge in Hikaru's gray-green eyes. Akira unflinchingly met this gaze with his usual mask of calm. There was no hint in Akira's expression that he was at all taken aback by Hikaru's unexpectedly early appearance. Akira's eyes flickered briefly over Hikaru as he methodically scanned the blond pro's countenance for signs of weakness from the past week.

He found none.

The corners of Akira's fine lips lifted imperceptibly.

Shindou. I've been waiting for this moment since the Hokuto Cup, Akira thought as he willed the intensity of his gaze to burn on Hikaru. He was rewarded by a look of calm determination, a look which Hikaru often displayed in his professional matches. A familiar shiver of anticipation ran down Akira's spine.

Come at me with all you've got!

Oh boy, Ichikawa thought anxiously as she involuntarily backed away from the rapidly mounting tension radiating from the two young pros. This is going to be another one of those days and they haven't even started playing yet!

"Hey Shindou! Where're your manners?" Kitajima growled as he turned his head to fix a pointed glare at Hikaru's back.

Hirose, who was far more perceptive than Kitajima, said soothingly, "Now, now Kitajima-san, there's no need to get upset. Let's leave them alone. We have our own game to worry about." Kitajima glanced at his opponent's friendly rotund face and merely grunted in response.

--0--0--0--

"You call that move an invasion?" Akira asked doubtfully as he absently stroked his chin with his right hand. "No matter how I look at it, it was an outright reckless move," Akira continued coolly as he pointed to a black stone in the upper middle of the board.

"No, it was not reckless!" Hikaru retorted, annoyed at Akira's refusal to acknowledge his patently brilliant move. "That move was supposed to make you worry. You see, it reduced your territory at the upper right corner here and at the same time, it exploited the weakness of your stones to the left here," Hikaru answered as he looked triumphantly up at Akira.

A frown clouded Akira's features.

"Those white stones were not weak," Akira explained a little impatiently. "I was getting ready to hit your pressure points right there in the middle and my next moves would have protected my forts to the left."

"Oh yeah? If that's the case, how come I was able to cut off your center stones eleven moves later which totally ruined your shape? You were so focused on building your territory in the upper right corner that you totally missed the significance of this move. Admit it!" Hikaru gloated gleefully as he watched Akira seethed silently from across the board. Both knew that Akira lost this game by a slim margin because Akira miscalculated Hikaru's intent behind an unconventional move. Yet, Akira was not going to give up this argument that easily.

"Your shape was horrendous in the lower left corner and I have no idea what you hoped to accomplish by that lousy move!" Akira said coldly as his index finger pointed accusingly at the stone in question.

"Oh, we're talking about me now? You still haven't admitted that you didn't even think of countering that move up there!" Hikaru fumed. Hikaru's voice and the color in his cheeks unconsciously rose a notch as he glared at Akira.

Touya, you're so proud! Why won't you admit your own mistakes?

Akira returned Hikaru's glare with the same intensity and then some. Akira's eyes flashed dangerous as he retaliated in an equally loud voice, "So what's your point? You TOTALLY failed to anticipate my cut here and it cost you your eyes for this group in this lower left region!" Spots of color began to appear on Akira's usually pale cheeks.

Pigs will fly before I'll admit anything to you, Shindou!

"Oh yeah? Touya, besides your OBVIOUS miss up there, you also failed to see this move here didn't you?" Hikaru plowed on mercilessly. His eyes blazed furiously as he stabbed his finger at offending intersection on the board. His voice went up yet another notch.

Several tables down, Kitajima rolled his eyes and Hirose shook his head helplessly at the imminent explosion. Wordlessly, they exchanged a look and retreated to the relative safety of Ichikawa's counter. Others nearby took the hint and swiftly followed suit.

"I did not miss that move," Akira grounded out through gritted teeth, carefully enunciating each word in his sentence. His flushed face betrayed the fact that Hikaru's words had hit its mark.

"What? You even said 'oh yeah!' when I mentioned it to you a couple of minutes ago!"

"I did not!" Akira denied vehemently. "Shindou, YOU were the one who said 'oh yeah' when I pointed out that blatant opening within your territory. Even a tank could have rolled right through it!"

Hikaru flushed hotly. While there was an opening, it was fairly difficult to detect that most players would undoubtedly miss it. Of course, Akira pounced on it and wiped out a good chunk of his territory.

"That's not true!" Hikaru protested by yelling straight at Akira's face. Hikaru abruptly stood up, his hands gripping the sides of the table to support his weight as he leaned forward to glare down at Akira.

"Yes, it's true!" Akira yelled back as he smacked his palms on the table, fury flaring in his turquoise eyes as he scowled darkly up at Hikaru. Realizing his disadvantage, Akira quickly drew himself up to his full height to glare back eye to eye.

"No, it's not true!" Hikaru shouted at the top of his lungs as his face inched forward to emphasize his point.

"Yes, it is!" Akira shouted just as loudly as he strained forward to glower at Hikaru.

"NO, IT'S NOT!"

"YES, IT IS!"

Hikaru and Akira glared angrily at each other, baring their teeth in their ire. Their flushed faces were now mere inches apart. They remained that way for a long moment as neither made a move to back down.

Finally, the tense moment was broken when Hikaru glanced away to settled back down on his seat. This time, Akira was unable to mask his surprise. He had fully expected Hikaru to storm out of the salon like he usually did after their fights.

Neither noticed the collective sighs of relief coming from the direction of Ichikawa's counter. A few of the newer customers, unaccustomed to such scenes, cast wary glances at Akira and Hikaru's table as they gingerly picked their way across the room to resume their games.

"Che!" Hikaru said as he flashed Akira an impish smile. It seemed that Hikaru had already forgotten about the shouting match from a moment ago. "I won and there's nothing you can do to change that! I'm not nearly done with you yet!"

"Don't push your luck!" Akira retorted while trying to keep a straight face. Hikaru's smile can be quite infectious.

Hikaru grinned broadly as he cleared the black stones off the board. He always felt giddy and lightheaded after a win against Akira. This win was particularly sweet since he knew Akira held nothing back.

"Heh heh. I'm the best! I bet that I will have no problems beating Ko Yongha at the Kawasaki!" Hikaru gushed excitedly.

"The Kawasaki?" Akira asked with a frown on his face.

"Oh man, Touya! Are you telling me that I actually know something that you don't?" Hikaru laughed as he reached into his backpack for the flyer.

Akira decided not to dignify that with a comment.

"Here!" Hikaru said as he slapped the flyer on the go board.

Akira reached curiously for the paper. It only took him a moment to absorb all of the information printed on the flyer. Akira rested his chin thoughtfully on his hand as he processed and assimilated what he just learned.

I can practically see the cogs and wheels in his head turn, Hikaru thought with a sweatdrop.

"According to the fax's date stamp, this came in late yesterday evening from Kawasaki Motors. Where did you get this from?" Akira asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um... from Kosemura-san," Hikaru answered after a small pause.

"Kosemura-san? Oh, the Weekly Go reporter," Akira said as he looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling, an image of a short man with protruding front teeth flashed quickly in his mind.

"Yeah. He told us that the Kawasaki is going to be similar to the Hokuto Cup. Each country will get to send three members to compete in the tournament!" Hikaru replied enthusiastically, his face glowing with excitement.

Us? Akira thought, but he made no comment.

"Kosemura-san also mentioned that there is good chance that both you and I will get an invitation," Hikaru said cheerfully. But, the smile on Hikaru's lips quickly withered away as he recalled what he said to Waya earlier.

"Really?" Akira replied with interest. He had fully expected the professional go world to take notice after Hikaru's outstanding performance at the Hokuto Cup, but he did not think that it would happen so soon. In any case, this latest development further buttressed his conclusion that Hikaru was his destined lifetime rival.

This is good news, Akira thought with a puzzled frown. Yet, why does Shindou look so reserved all of a sudden?

"But," Hikaru said in an oddly subdued voice as he turned his head away, not willing to meet Akira's gaze, "I intend to decline the invitation if Kawasaki ever decides to extend one to me."

Akira stared uncomprehendingly at Hikaru for several seconds as his brain tried to make sense of what Hikaru had just said. Finally, Akira exploded.

"WHAT?" Akira shouted loudly before he could stop himself, a look of utter incredulity was written all over his features. Akira could not believe his ears. Is this the same person who forcibly ousted him from the first board in Japan's match against Korea? Is this the same person who shed all those tears of regret after losing by half a moku to Ko Yongha?

"You heard me!" Hikaru said defensively while putting up a brave front, even as he felt himself cringing under Akira's dark scowl.

"What's wrong with you?!" Akira hissed angrily as his eyes gleamed with unnatural brightness.

Hikaru gulped under the pressure of Akira's wrath. He had expected Akira to be pissed, but the Akira before him was beyond pissed. Akira was absolutely furious.

"I... um...," Hikaru gulped again, quaking under Akira's forbidding look. Hikaru felt himself sweating under the Akira's rage as he searched his mind frantically for the explanation that he had rehearsed on the way to the salon.

Shindou, just when things are finally looking up for you, you have to go out of your way and do something stupid to ruin it don't you! Akira thought furiously as he fought the urge to strangle Hikaru. He was getting fed up with Hikaru's childish attitudes toward the professional go world.

"I want people to know that I'm at the Kawasaki because I've earned my way there and not because it was handed to me on a silver platter," Hikaru blurted out.

Akira was taken aback by the answer. Is Shindou merely naïve or is he overbearingly conceited?

"Did you think that invitations are given just to anybody? Did you seriously think that the Japanese Go Institute would allow that?" Akira asked acidly. "Have you ever considered how STUPID it looks to turn down Kawasaki's invitation and then show up to play at the qualifying tournament?" Akira was fairly shouting at this point.

Hikaru winced inwardly under the harsh tone, but he looked undauntedly at Akira and shouted back, "I don't care how stupid I look! If I can't make it through the selection rounds, how can I expect to beat Ko Yongha at the actual tournament?"

Again, it comes back to Ko Yongha, Akira thought savagely as he continued to pin Hikaru down with the intensity of his glare. Who do you think you are? Have you forgotten who your true rival is? Your manic need to beat Ko Yongha at all costs undoubtedly stems from your obsession with Shuusaku, but if you think that I'm going to docilely step aside a second time, you're in for a surprise!

"What makes you think that you will be the one facing Ko Yongha at the tournament, that is, assuming that you are going to be in the tournament?" Akira asked icily. Akira exerted his willpower to force his temper under control. His usual mask of expressionless calm fell flawlessly back into place.

Hikaru glanced uneasily at Akira's deceptively calm demeanor. In many ways, this Akira was ten times worse than the screaming one from before.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru snapped. Akira's words of softly-veiled menace struck a cord of fear within Hikaru.

What's on your mind, Touya? Hikaru thought.

"If you find it so insulting to accept an invitation to a tournament, then I think I should feel the same way," Akira said smoothly. "After all, I wouldn't want people to think that I'm taking an unfair advantage of my competition."

Hikaru stared speechlessly at Akira.

"You just said so yourself that it'll be stupid to decline the invitation and then show up for the qualifying tournament!"

Akira did not answer, but merely continued to glance coolly at Hikaru.

"You're joking right? There's no need for you to do that. Everyone knows that Touya Akira 3-dan is one of the youngest pro ever to make it into the Honinbou League. No one would ever dare to question your selection," Hikaru protested as he looked searchingly at Akira. Hikaru balled his hands into fists to prevent them from trembling.

"I could have said the same for you," Akira replied calmly as he nonchalantly crossed his arms across his chest.

Hikaru's gray-green eyes narrowed as he regarded Akira suspiciously, uncertain what the green hair young man sitting across from him was thinking.

"I guess I'll be seeing you at the qualifying tournament," Akira said quietly as he firmly pushed the flyer back to Hikaru.

Hikaru silently stuffed the flyer back into his backpack.

Then it hit him.

"We might be paired against each other at the preliminary rounds," Hikaru said tensely as he tried to gauge Akira's reaction.

"That's right. If that happens, one of us will be eliminated," Akira agreed, his expression unreadable.

Hikaru felt an uncomfortable squeeze at his heart as his stomach dropped. The blood in his veins seemed to have run cold at Akira's words.

"Why?" Hikaru asked sharply. "Why take the chance? Don't you want us to be on the same team again?"

"What do you think?" Akira countered.

Hikaru stared blankly at Akira.

Akira's turquoise-colored eyes bore intently into Hikaru and with deliberate softness, he said, "I did not stand in your way at the Hokuto Cup because I knew how important that match was to you. But since you're so adamant on not getting a free ride to the Kawasaki, why not go all the way? If you want to play against Ko Yongha as the first board in the Kawasaki, then you're going to have to go through me."

Hikaru's eyes widen slightly in surprise. He could tell that Akira was dead serious. Akira was letting him know point-blank that he was not planning to let Hikaru move ahead of him without a fight. Then it came to him. In a flash of remarkable clarity, Hikaru understood.

Touya, you are my rival.

"Let's play! I'll show you again that I can beat you and that I'm not just blowing hot air around here!" Hikaru said loudly.

"Ah-ha! So that's why the room has been feeling warm around here," Kitajima said sarcastically as he slapped a go stone onto the board. Hirose glanced apologetically at the two pros from across the tables and quickly diverted his grouchy opponent's attention back to the game.

--0--0--0--

In the minds of Akira and Hikaru, all of the sounds and images around them faded into nonexistence. Nothing mattered except for the go board that sat between them.

"Please," Akira and Hikaru said the ritualistic phrase simultaneously and gave each other a small bow over the board.

Hikaru reached into the wooden bowl and played a standard opening on the 4-4 point, _hoshi_, in the upper right corner. Without hesitation, Akira took the lower right _hoshi_. Swiftly, Hikaru claimed the upper left corner by playing a stone on the 3-4 point, _komoku_. Instead of taking the lower left corner as was the common strategy, Akira laid the groundwork for an invasion into the upper left corner by playing a one space jump to the right of Hikaru's _komoku_.

Aren't we aggressive today? Hikaru thought as he played a stone on the 8-4 point to extend his territory in the upper middle.

I'm not going to waste time staking out my territory, Akira thought as he played a stone to extend his territory down the left side of the board. Shindou, let's make this interesting. We're both after the same thing, so let's see who can get there first. If you think you're good enough to win against Ko Yongha, prove it now!

So you want to fight from the beginning to the end? I'll give you a fight! Hikaru thought fiercely. There was an intense glint in his eyes as he began his attack on the white stone that dared to infringe on his territory.

A fight quickly broke out in the upper left section of the board as each sought dominance over the other. With each move, the outlines of territories became more defined. Within minutes, the upper left corner was filled with black and white stones, but they were evenly matched and so far neither had a clear advantage over the other. In the meanwhile, Hikaru's black groups had also started to develop a strong hold on the lower right corner.

If you're not going to take the lower left corner, I will! Hikaru thought. His eyes narrowed as he swiftly placed a black stone on the lower left _hoshi_ with a resounding pa-chi!

Hm... a double extension, Akira thought with a frown. So you think that you can take control of the board with that move? It doesn't matter, let's see how you respond to this, Akira thought as he impassively played a white stone at the 7-9 point near the upper middle of the board.

Hikaru stared at the stone that was just played and quickly calmed himself. He stole a quick glance at his opponent. Akira's expression of absolute concentration gave nothing away.

Touya, that was an impressive move, Hikaru thought with grudging respect as he rapidly assessed the situation. That move strengthened the white stones in the upper left corner while weakening the effectiveness of my group in that area. At the same time, it served to expand your territories to the right and prepared your troops for invasion into the lower left. Nevertheless, I won't be so easily defeated!

--0--0--0--

Hikaru frowned deeply as he studied the complicated pattern of stones on the left side of the board. A ko fight had broken out over the lower left corner of the board as the army of black and white stones fought bitterly for control of the territory.

This is no good, Hikaru thought as he ran a frustrated hand through his blond bangs. I'm losing this ko fight. Every time I think I've got him, Touya merely comes back with an even more ingenious ko threat. I'm running out of options. This is just not working out.

Shindou. You've put up a good fight, but it's not enough, Akira thought as he quietly observed Hikaru's body language.

"I have nothing," Hikaru said curtly as he gave Akira a brief nod. Hikaru carefully kept his head lowered without meeting Akira's gaze.

"Thank you for the game," Akira replied calmly.

"I'm still not good enough, am I?" Hikaru asked quietly.

"Shindou?" Akira questioned with a frown. Why is Shindou so moody all of a sudden? Shindou usually gets loud, but never depressed, over a loss in their private matches.

"If that was a game in the qualifying round for the Kawasaki, I would have been eliminated," Hikaru replied. His shoulders sagged slightly as he propped his chin on his hand, staring at the wall's wooden paneling.

"But it wasn't."

"It could have been."

"But it wasn't!" Akira insisted.

"It could have been!" Hikaru snarled as he turned to glare angrily at Akira.

Touya. Why do you have to purposely get in my way? Hikaru thought furiously as his eyes continue to shoot daggers at Akira.

Akira sat unperturbed across from him, seemingly immune to Hikaru's murderous gaze. Hikaru looked away and forced himself to take a deep breath.

No. It's not your fault, Hikaru thought reluctantly, his blond bangs hiding his eyes from Akira's view. If anything, you're reminding me just how far I still have to go before I reach the level of a first board. Still, it's not fair! Hikaru thought as his hands tightly gripped the fabric of his jeans. Touya, I haven't counted on you to complicate matters by choosing to participate in the qualifying tournament.

Akira watched the top of Hikaru head as he waited patiently for Hikaru to speak.

Heh! It doesn't matter. I've overcome impossible odds before and this will be no exception, Hikaru decided. Of all the younger pros that I have played against so far, you're probably the only one that I have yet to beat in a professional game. But, that will soon change. Hikaru nodded to himself. The Young Lions Tournament will be the first step. After that, I'll beat you again at the Kawasaki qualifying tournament if I have to!

In a swift motion, Hikaru picked up his backpack and was about to leave when Akira called out.

"Wait! We haven't discussed this game yet," Akira said.

"We'll do it next time," Hikaru said impatiently.

"Are you still sulking because you lost?" Akira said with a raised eyebrow as he affixed an innocent look on his face.

"I was not sulking!" Hikaru bristled under Akira's look while flushing crimson at the accusation.

"Yes, you were," Akira replied with an irritating calmness that irked Hikaru.

"I was not!" Hikaru countered forcefully.

"Yes, you were!"

"I WAS NOT!"

"YES, YOU WERE!"

"I'M LEAVING!" Hikaru shouted at the top of his lungs as he stormed out of the salon with all the dignity he could muster.

* * *

A/N: It was a real challenge writing this chapter, but as **hattuteline** pointed out in his review, Hikago won't be Hikago if the element of go was blatantly missing. Hopefully, this turned out ok. ) I'm not going to explain what a ko fight is, but just imagine the match between Hikaru and the Chinese pro at the Hokuto Cup. A ko fight broke out right before the endgame when Hikaru tried to catch up by frantically taking prisoners. That's the essence of a ko fight. 

Who would have thought that a little hint that Kawasaki will be sending out invitations can create so much drama? It appears that all three slots are opened at this point. So anything goes! (Isumi-san should be very happy now...)

As always, reviews and suggestions are appreciated. I'm getting blown away by the detailed reviews that are in my mailbox. /cries happily/ They really help the story develop and they keep this fic alive!

* * *

_Lachesis's shrine to reviewers:_

**Lucathia - **I hope there's enough dosage of Akira in this chapter to keep you happy! Extra strength, just for you! Should Akira keep his consecutive wins? Hmm... what do you think, **mikaii**? Yes, Isumi is such a worrywart isn't he?

**Lyeza** - Yes, this fic follows the side stories closely and uses that to spring board into my own plot. I will attempt to continue the scene where Hikaru and Akira go into a showdown. (I doubt I'm giving much away here. Everyone is expecting this scene to come up in my future chapter, ne?) Also, thanks for your input on Waya, I feel the same way.

**mikaii** - You're right, chapter 5 was short. I purposely kept the Hikaru/Waya/Isumi interaction brief (by my standards anyway), because I was eager to introduce Akira. In any case, this chapter is substantially longer, so enjoy enjoy...

**Kenji14** - Thanks! I hope you liked the Hikaru/Akira interaction here!

**Night-Owl123** - It's always nice to know that someone is looking forward to my chapters! Thanks!

**hattuteline** - All I can say is that I tried to write about go. ) I've been plotting this chapter even before I got your e-mail. I think I need to study more go before I attempt to write the Young Lions chapter. -.-;

**Hikaru-009** - Yes, this story is very detailed, but I think it works for me. I'm glad you like it. ) As for shonen-ai elements, I think I only injected one so far and I don't have any plans to put anymore in. See my response to **O-B-E-L-I-S-K1 **for my thoughts on Sai.

**O-B-E-L-I-S-K1** - Thank you for your compliments! I agree that the fan passing scene was the most touching scene in the whole series (or in any series for that matter!). As for the idea of Sai coming back as a gorgeous woman (good try!), I'm afraid that's just not gonna work. I've seen fics with Sai coming back as a reincarnation of someone (male, female, children), but I always find them kinda awkward and you can easily write yourself into a corner. In my mind, if Sai ever gets reincarnated, that person is no longer Sai. I can't have that happen! ) I have something in mind for Sai, but for now, he's going to keep a low profile.

Thank you for reading!!!


	7. Unforgettable Opponent

Disclaimer: Same as before.

Note: In the manga, So Chang-Won was a high-dan (probably a 9-dan) Korean pro who acted as Touya Kouyo's host and translator during Kouyo's stay in Korea.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Unforgettable Opponent**

Seoul, Korea

So Chang-Won raised a hand to muffle a yawn as he padded softly down the corridor of his spacious home in his house slippers. With the prize money from his _baduk_ matches, the fees from his lectures and the royalties from his publications, Chang-won purchased a modest house in a semi-rural area away from hustle and bustle of the noisy city. As he walked pass the archway leading into the living room, he saw the profile of Touya Kouyo, sitting in _seiza_ on a floor cushion with his arms folded across his chest, looking meditatively down at the _baduk_ board. The sliding glass doors to the backyard were opened to allow the fresh morning air to circulate freely within the room.

Why is Touya-san staring at an empty board? Chang-Won wondered. No, wait a minute. There's a slate stone in the upper right corner _komoku_. Hm... it looks like Touya-san is devising a new opening. If that's the case, it would be rude for me to intrude, Chang-Won thought as he turned to walk noiselessly away.

From his peripheral vision, Kouyo noticed a movement at the door. He looked up just in time to see Chang-Won turning to leave.

"Good morning, So-san," Kouyo called out.

Chang-Won turned in mild surprise and returned the greeting. "Ah! Touya-san, I didn't mean to interrupt your studies and, oh, please excuse my appearance," Chang-Won said as he looked sheepishly down at his pajamas. Kouyo was already fully dressed in a light brown shirt and charcoal gray slacks. "It's not even seven yet, so I didn't expect anyone to be up."

"It is I who should apologize since I have once again imposed on your kind hospitality," Kouyo answered politely. "I hope I am not being a bother," Kouyo said as his fingertips lightly patted the smooth surface of the traditional agathis _baduk_ board in front of him.

"No, not at all."

"I must be getting to that age. I don't seem to require as much sleep as I used to," Kouyo said with a smile.

"That makes the two of us. I tend to be an early riser as well," Chang-Won answered with a small chuckle. "As a matter of fact, my wife's number one complaint is that I would often wake at an ungodly hour in the nights before a major match. As you can imagine, she doesn't get much sleep during the tournament seasons."

"No wonder Akiko gets along so well with your wife," Kouyo commented with an understanding smile.

"Yes, precisely," Chang-Won agreed and returned the smile.

Kouyo nodded as Chang-Won politely excused himself from the room.

Sleepless anticipation? Kouyo thought as he looked contemplatively at the seemingly vast expanses of the board. Yes, I know that feeling well, perhaps, all _too_ well, Kouyo thought as he closed his eyes, the breeze from the opened doors felt cool against his skin. It carried a faint scent of trees and greenery which reminded him of home.

Everyday I ask myself - is this the day? Is this the day that I will find you? Kouyo thought as he looked pensively at the empty seat across the board from him.

Will that seat be ever filled?

Is it merely my selfishness that I want a rematch? Kouyo thought with a sad smile. Once I find you, we will play. Not just one match, but hundreds and perhaps thousands more if we live that long. This time, I will not let you go. Can you blame me? A hint of a smile touched Kouyo's lips. That game on the internet was truly extraordinary.

You exhibited a remarkable depth of wisdom in each and every one of your carefully orchestrated moves. There was no mercy - it was kill or be killed, Kouyo thought reflectively. His turquoise-colored eyes held a steely glint as he gazed at the solitary slate stone in the upper right corner _komoku_. Even though I cannot see your face, I can clearly sense your aura, reaching intangibly out with an overwhelming oppressiveness, trying to make me falter. Moreover, yours is a weathered spirit. A spirit forged and tempered in the heat of innumerable battles over a period of many years. You may be hiding behind Shindou, but you are definitely not him. Shindou has great potential, but his spirit, like Akira's, is far from mature. Kouyo sighed softly at the thought of Hikaru and his son's ongoing rivalry.

At our level, there is no room for error. Every stone has a purpose for being. Every stone is important because it serves as an integral link to the tapestry as a whole. Together, the stones form a universe. Together, you and I will one day create a universe where the hand of god exists, Kouyo thought with a small smile as he looked down at his callused fingers.

Kouyo stood and took a step toward the backyard garden, his left hand rested lightly on the frame of the glass door as he looked up at the clear blue skies. The iron-gray hair around Kouyo's eyes fluttered ever so slightly at the gentle touch of the breeze. The lines at the corner of his eyes and mouth appeared less pronounced in the bright morning light, making Kouyo look younger and less stern than usual.

At the Hokuto Cup, Yang Hai proposed an interesting hypothesis about you, Kouyo thought as he lifted a hand to move a strand of hair out of his eyes.

_He has shown us his strength, but no one knows who he is._

_It's as if he was a reincarnation of Shuusaku._

_If he was truly the wandering spirit of Shuusaku then..._

_that would explain why he can't leave the Net, because he doesn't have an existence apart from the Net._

Regardless of who or what you are, your strength in go is ample proof of your existence, Kouyo thought firmly.

You're out there somewhere, waiting for me. I won't rest until I find you.

Sai.

--0--0--0--

"Sunday traffic is the worst!" Chang-Won grumbled as he honked the red Hyundai Sonata that had just so rudely cut in front of them.

"Tokyo is just as bad in the weekends," Kouyo answered with an amused smile, unable to keep a straight face. Several blocks back, Chang-Won rolled down the windows and yelled something unintelligible in Korean at the truck driver who almost scraped the side of Chang-Won's car. This certainly was not the unflappable So Chang-Won that Kouyo usually saw at the go matches.

Chang-Won sat up straighter on his seat as he continued to navigate through the horrendous traffic. One of his hands constantly hovered over the horn, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Touya-san, I can't believe that you're actually going to participate in an amateur tournament this week. It's going to be a slaughter," Chang-Won said as his eyes continuously scanned the traffic on the road. Kouyo gave Chang-won a sidelong glance. He did not want to distract Chang-Won from his driving, but it seemed rude not to respond.

"Not necessarily," Kouyo answered while lightly shaking his head. "Some of the best players in this world are not pros."

"You're referring to Sai?" Chang-Won asked after they stopped at a red light.

"That is a good example," Kouyo said smoothly. "I have heard rumors that there are some bright talents in this particular amateur competition. Besides, until the Korean Baduk Association officially grants me the status of a guest pro, I will need this in order to qualify for the Samsung Cup."

Chang-Won nodded without comment. He was too busy honking at a blue sedan that had the audacity to cut in front of him. Kouyo darted a quick look at his companion's frustrated expression and suppressed a smile. Next time, I will insist that we take public transportation, Kouyo thought as his turquoise eyes swept over the bumper to bumper traffic. Chang-Won took a moment to calm down as they stopped for another red light before speaking.

"The Samsung Cup will take place at the end of July right? That is so convenient since the games in the first half of the Chinese League ends at the end of June."

Kouyo nodded amicably.

"Speaking of the Chinese League, it appears that So-san's Chongqing Team is again the favorite to win this year."

"We have only played four or five games this year so far, so it's too early to tell," Chang-Won answered diplomatically. "Besides, ever since Touya-san joined the Beijing Team, there is a lot of speculation among various parties that Beijing will emerge the victor this year."

Kouyo smiled without comment.

"What do you suppose Sai is doing right now?" Chang-Won asked suddenly.

Kouyo glanced briefly at Chang-Won in surprise, without hesitation he responded, "He is preparing for his next encounter with me."

"You are very confident," Chang-Won commented, noting Kouyo's serious expression from the corner of his eyes.

"Yes, very."

--0--0--0--

Suyon unconsciously wiped his sweaty palms against the sides of his jeans as he stared transfixed at the match between Touya Kouyo and Yongha before him. The other Korean pros that surrounded the small table wore similar looks of fascination as they unblinkingly watched the beginning of the endgame.

Yongha is so awesome! After he fell into that trap earlier, he still managed to make it this far with Touya sensei. If it was me, I probably would have resigned a long time ago, Suyon thought as he waited tensely for the next move.

Yongha's hazel eyes methodically scanned the pattern of stones on the _baduk_ board as he mentally worked out the variations in the remaining number of potential moves.

At the moment, my black groups control about forty-five points on the right side of the board, Yongha thought as he absently stroked his chin. However, Touya sensei has a vast territory of about forty-points to the left. After factoring in the corners that he took earlier on and the five and a half _komi_ (1), there isn't a move I can make at this point that will give me a win.

"I resign," Yongha said politely in Japanese. He had started to take Japanese lessons recently and this was one phrase that he hoped not to use too often. Suyon silently exhaled behind Yongha. He was so tensed. It was almost as if he was the one sitting across from Touya sensei instead of Yongha.

"Thank you for the game," Kouyo answered with a slight smile and a nod of acknowledgment. "As expected, Ko-kun played a great game. I would have loved to see you play against Akira at the Hokuto Cup."

Chang-Won sat on one side of the table in between the two pros as he patiently translated the conversation between them.

"Yes, I had expected Touya-kun to be my opponent, but it appears that Team Japan's team leader had a change of plans at the last minute," Yongha replied.

"Kurata-kun is very savvy," Kouyo nodded amicably. "Your match against Shindou-kun turned out to be very fascinating. It kept both the pros and the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout most of the game."

"I had not expected that level of game play from him," Yongha said honestly.

"Neither did I, but then again, no one quite knows what to expect from him," Kouyo remarked with slight smile on his lips. "That is why Shindou-kun is so interesting."

Hm... this is a surprise, so even Touya sensei has noticed Shindou, Yongha thought as he attempted to gauge the look on Kouyo's features.

"Kawasaki Motors is sponsoring a teen battle tournament that will take place in a couple of months. It will be interesting to see whether it is Shindou Hikaru or Touya Akira who will ultimately represent Japan as the first board," Chang-Won said and repeated his comment in Korean for Yongha and the others.

"I think it will be Akira," Kouyo said calmly with a smile on his lips.

"Oh?" Chang-Won asked, surprised.

"Let's just say I understand my son very well. He can't stand to be second for long," Kouyo replied. Chang-won and Yongha exchanged a look as Kouyo calmly took a sip of warm barley tea.

Yongha pursed his lips in thought. It will be interesting to see how I measure up against Touya Akira in competition since I've heard so much about him. But, the person that I'm really looking forward to playing against is Shindou. Yongha looked at the _baduk_ board thoughtfully. How good is Touya compared to his father? Will he impress me as much Shindou did? Yongha smiled. The future of Japanese _baduk_ may not be so hopeless after all.

"I saw it in the newspaper the other day that Ko-san is playing in the Wangwi League this year with a record of two wins and one loss thus far. That is quite an accomplishment," Kouyo said. (2)

"Thank you, but that is nothing compared to Touya-kun's accomplishment of playing in the Honinbou League," Yongha answered modestly, flattered that Kouyo followed his progress.

"Both Honinbou and Wangwi are impressive titles," Kouyo said with a smile. "When is your next match?"

"Round four is the following Monday," Yongha answered politely. "But, as this game with Touya sensei just demonstrated, I still have a lot to learn."

"But not from Honinbou Shuusaku?" Kouyo asked with an amused glint in his eyes.

Yongha raised a hand to stifle a cough, using the opportunity to look away and to hide the light blush that crept into his cheeks.

"Touya-san, about that..." Chang-Won interrupted while casting a sharp glance at Yongha.

Kouyo chuckled, waving Chang-Won's explanation aside.

"I'm not upset," Kouyo assured Chang-Won with a smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth creased as he smiled. "I was young once too. After spending so many years in the professional go world, most of us grow complacent with our accomplishments and stagnate, living only in the past."

Kouyo paused with a thoughtful expression on his face as he allowed Chang-Won to translate.

"However, if Shuusaku was alive today, he would certainly strive to update his techniques and reinvent himself. Very few people would stand a chance against _that_ Shuusaku," Kouyo said softly, a strange indecipherable look in his eyes as he spoke of Shuusaku. An awkward silence fell over the room as the Korean pros in the room attempted to grapple with what Kouyo just said and with the abrupt change in Kouyo's demeanor.

No one spoke. For some odd reason, no one can come up with an adequate response to Kouyo's plain statement. It was not so much as to what he said, but rather, it was the way he said it that left the Korean pros standing in respectful silence.

Chang-Won was the first to snap out of the strange mood created by Kouyo, "Let's discuss this game. I was just wondering, why did Touya-san ..."

--0--0--0--

"Touya sensei is everything that I thought he would be," Suyon gushed excitedly as he cleared the black stones off the board. After Kouyo and Chang-Won left, Suyon and Yongha stayed behind to practice for the matches coming up this week. "He's calm, cool and collected. Nothing fazes him. I want to play just like that!" Suyon grinned happily as he continued to ramble on with a starry-eyed look.

However, Yongha was not listening to him.

"It's almost as if Touya sensei believed that Shuusaku is still alive," Yongha mused, half to himself. His long fingers reached out to clear the white stones without any conscious thought.

"Huh... what did you say?" Suyon asked, noting Yongha's distracted expression.

Yongha flashed Suyon a quick grin and said, "It's nothing, I was just thinking..."

"You were just thinking how great it would be to become the youngest player ever to win the Wangwi title?" A pleasant voice smoothly interjected from behind Yongha.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Yongha's features. In Yongha's ears, the voice had a certain unsavory quality to it. His instincts told him that it would be unwise to ignore that fact. Suyon looked up at the newcomer and greeted him with a smile, "Hyong-Kim! What're you doing here?"

"I heard that Yongha was playing against Touya sensei so I thought it'll be interesting to check it out," Hyong-Kim said as he glanced around the near empty room. "It appears that I'm too late."

Yongha turned to casually draped an arm over the back of his chair and said coolly to Hyong Kim, "Yes, we're just about to leave."

"Oh? I was hoping that we can get a game in? Aren't you free right now?" Hyong-Kim asked with a good-natured smile on his face.

"No," Yongha said as he stood to level a cold glance at Hyong-Kim. Ahn Hyong-Kim was one of the few Korean pros who was almost as tall as Yongha. Like Yongha, he was sixteen years old and was a member of the Wangwi League. Hyong-Kim raised a hand to scratch the back of his light orange hair as if puzzled by Yongha's open hostility towards him. His dark brown eyes looked searchingly at Yongha and was about to say something when Yongha suddenly turned on his heels and left the room. Suyon's eyes widen in surprise, but he quickly recovered. He bowed quickly to Hyong-Kim and hurried after Yongha.

After they exited the _baduk_ institute, Yongha and Suyon walked at a brisk pace in silence until Suyon's patience finally reached its breaking point, which did not take long at all. "Yongha, that was rude!" Suyon complained with a scowl as they stopped at a street corner, waiting for the pedestrian crosswalk light to change.

"Why?" Yongha asked with a small charming smile while giving Suyon an innocent look, "I told him no."

Uh-oh, Suyon thought. It's THAT look. I wonder what Hyong-Kim did to piss Yongha off so much?

"You know what I mean! What did you do that for? Hyong-Kim is so nice. I can't understand why you hate him so much," Suyon asked in puzzlement.

"So you think he's nice, eh?" Yongha asked with a curl to his lips.

"Yes..." Suyon answered uncertainly, unwilling to openly contradict Yongha.

"Besides, everyone thinks he's the closest person worthy of becoming your rival."

"Others can think what they want, but people like Ahn Hyong-Kim can never be my rival. I can see him as no more than an obstacle to my goal of clinching the Wangwi title," Yongha answered, his tone told Suyon that it was dangerous to pursue this topic any further.

Suyon looked sullenly at the ground, unhappy that Yongha did not trust him enough to divulge more information. As the light changed, Yongha quickly reached over and playfully pulled the front of Suyon's baseball cap over his eyes.

"Hey!" Suyon exclaimed, surprised by the sudden prank. By the time he lifted his cap, Yongha was already half way across the street. "Wait for me!"

"Let's find a _baduk_ salon to practice," Yongha grinned broadly. Suyon found his own smile returning, unable to resist that charismatic smile.

Back at the institute, Hyong-Kim stared at the spot where Yongha stood just moments ago. His body shook with rage at the callous way that Yongha dismissed him. The good-nature features that had graced Hyong-Kim's handsome face were now replaced by an ugly scowl of jealousy and hatred.

Ko Yongha, you are the most arrogant asshole that I have ever met in my life, Hyong-Kim thought savagely. You think that the world evolves around you, don't you? Hyong-Kim bit his lower lip as he mentally counted to ten to calm himself down.

If you win two more matches, you'll become the Wangwi challenger. You better pray that you lose your next match because I will do whatever it takes to win the Wangwi title, Hyong-Kim thought as he crossed his arms against his chest, an angry gleam in his eyes. Yes, you better pray because I will take everything away from you that are rightfully mine. But for a scheduling conflict that prevented me from competing in the Hokuto Cup, I would have fought tooth and nail with you for that coveted first board spot. You won't be so lucky this time.

Hyong-Kim's pressed his lips into a cold hard line.

Let it be known that, I, Ahn Hyong-Kim, will represent Team Korea as the first board in the Kawasaki Tournament.

--0--0--0--

Tokyo, Japan

Hikaru sat cross-legged in front of his go board as he stared at the black go stone that had mysteriously appeared in his half-recreated game. Yesterday, after his return from the Touya go salon, Hikaru immediately started his analysis of the mysterious move. It took him less than half an hour to confirm his initial impression that he could have won if he timely played this move. Timing was absolutely critical. If he played this too soon, Ko Yongha would undoubtedly have found a way to neutralize the threat. On the other hand, if he played this too late, the advantage would be lost. It would take an extremely skilled player to spot this kind of opening.

Someone like Sai, Hikaru thought as he bit his thumb in frustration. This shouldn't be possible. Assuming that it was Sai, he has never been able to move stones without my help, Hikaru sighed as he fell backwards to lean on the side of his bed.

Sai, if that was you, why won't you come out and see me? Do you hate me because I didn't let you play as often as you liked?

--0--0--0--

"Good afternoon, Kuwabara sensei," the sales clerk at the concession stand bowed and politely greeted Kuwabara as he strolled leisurely by her stand. He acknowledged her greeting with a brief nod and a low grunt as he slowly made his way to the elevators. Sunday was a busy day for the institute since this was the day that the insei's came for their lessons and the day that the general public came for various seminars and instructional go sessions offered by the institute - for a modest fee, of course. The lobby was especially busy since this was the lunch hour.

"Yes, yes, business is booming," Kuwabara mumbled with a satisfied nod as he peered at the people walking in the lobby through his half-closed eyes. Despite appearances, Kuwabara's eyesight was as sharp as ever. That being said, he wouldn't hesitate to play the role of a helpless old man if he thought that would lull his opponents to underestimate him. Nevertheless, few pros would fall for that trick since Kuwabara's craftiness was almost as legendary as his skill in go.

Kuwabara never had to weave his way through the lobby since the path before him automatically cleared as he approached. Most people recognized him; they bowed and respectfully stood aside to let him pass.

Ah, the Honinbou has its privileges, Kuwabara thought gleefully as his eyes surveyed the bowed heads around him, his stern demeanor and his title commanded nothing short of absolute respect.

That's why I love being the Honinbou, Kuwabara thought with an easy smile on his old wrinkly features. Kuwabara adored being the center of attention, that's what he lived for.

If that whipper snapper Ogata thinks that he can steal my title away, he'll be sorely disappointed, Kuwabara thought coolly. This old bag of bones still have some fight in him. I certainly don't plan to leave center stage anytime soon now that the new wave of go talent is just about to wash in. Kuwabara chuckled as he hobbled into the elevator.

"The fun is just beginning," Kuwabara mumbled to himself. Unable to resist, he cackled with pleasure as he thought of the myriad of ways that he can use to unnerve the "young ones" as they slowly made their way before him. The people in the elevator with Kuwabara cast wary glances at the eccentric old man as they politely tried not to stare.

--0--0--0--

Kuwabara strolled slowly down the stairs of the go institute as he treaded the familiar steps toward his final destination for the day - the Room of Deep Contemplation. As expected, the corridor was deserted since the general public was not allowed to wander into this area. The Room of Deep Contemplation was Kuwabara's favorite room. He often visited this place even when he did not have a game since it was a tangible reminder of why he loves being the Honinbou.

Kuwabara dropped all his pretenses of agelessness and reached with his left hand to gently rub his lower back. "Age is an unforgiving thing," Kuwabara murmured as he slowly walked down the deserted corridor. Suddenly, Kuwabara felt a presence behind him.

A toothless grin spread over Kuwabara's lips as his sixth sense told him who it was.

"Shindou-kun," Kuwabara said triumphantly as he turned around expecting to see the energetic blond hair pro.

"Eh?" Kuwabara exclaimed in mild surprise when emptiness greeted him. He scratched the top of his bald spot with a crooked finger as he glanced around the empty corridor. The presence that he felt earlier had disappeared.

"Hm..." Kuwabara rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

I trust my sixth sense. Someone was definitely here, Kuwabara thought with certainty. Whoever you are, you'll be back because you can't stay away, Kuwabara thought with a shrug and gave out a hearty cackle as he walked into the Room of Deep Contemplation.

* * *

(1) The _komi_ in Korea, as well as in Japan, is now six and a half moku for most (if not all) tournaments. China's _komi_ is seven and a half moku. Hotta sensei decided to simplify matters by keeping everything at five and a half moku. 

(2) Wangwi literally means the "throne." It is a major Korean _baduk_ title. There is a total of eight players in the Wangwi League (think of the Honinbou League). The league players engage in round robin matches where the winner is the person who did the best in seven games. In Yongha's case, he has to win two more games to become the Wangwi challenger (He has 2 wins, 1 loss out of 7 so far). The challenger plays the best of five matches against the title holder. Are you confused yet? All you need to know is that I'm putting Yongha at the same level as Akira. :-D

* * *

A/N: In the manga, Kouyo and Chang-Won used polite speech (-masu forms) with each other. Therefore, their relationship is probably more in the nature of a business acquaintance than good friends. That's why they're pretty polite to each other. 

In this fan fic, Kouyo has turquoise-colored eyes because I believe that he passed those killer orbs to Akira. :-p

I know that many readers are looking forward to the Young Lions (so am I), but again, I didn't get to it this chapter. –-; Gomen!!! I'll get to it eventually!

This chapter drained me on imagination so I hope it wasn't too bad. By popular demand, this chapter is chock full of Sai references... I'll leave you to guess where this is going.

I agree with **Lyeza** that we need to know what happened to Yongha and Suyon in the meanwhile. Therefore, this chapter is sorta like a continuation of ch 1. I picked up a couple of loose ends and added a couple more. D Ahn Hyong-Kim is my first OC in this fic. Let's see how I do! In any case, we'll be checking in with Korea every now and then to see how Yongha and Hyong-Kim are doing in the Wangwi League.

* * *

_Lachesis's shrine to reviewers:_

**Lucathia **– Yes, Hikaru has a bad habit of leaving people behind. I had that in mind when I wrote Akira's line about having to go through me. It really disturbed me how short Hikaru's attention span seems to be. :p It would be interesting if Akira, Hikaru and Yashiro finished each other off at the prelims wouldn't it? /grins evilly/ I love your fic so keep at it! As for including more go scenes, um... I'll do it, but it's going to take forever. (I chickened out on this chapter --;) I'm going to have to call on my go expert soon. **Hattuteline** are you still there??

**Lyeza **– If you were surprised that Akira decided to turn down Kawasaki's invitation then I got his character right. :-D I feel that it's in his nature to do the unexpected whenever the matter concerned Hikaru. Akira behaves the way he does because he doesn't want to be left behind. It's a matter of opinion whether Hikaru considered Akira a rival or an obstacle at this point, probably both. :-D

There'll be more hints about the Kawasaki prelims and potential candidates for the Kawasaki in the next chapter. Hopefully, that'll alleviate some of your concerns. All I can say is – bumpy road ahead! I had intended to write about Yongha sooner, but one thing led to another and it never happened until now. Yongha now has his little subplot so he should appear a little more often from now on.

**Kenji14** – Thanks! See my response to **Lyeza** since both of you had a similar comment.

**Night-Owl123** – as usual, thanks!

**O-B-E-L-I-S-K1** – OK, it looks like you got both Kuwabara and Touya sensei in this chapter. Ahh... the power of reviews! You'll probably see the two insei kids at the Young Lions.

**Lady Addiction **– Thank you for your compliments! /beams happily/ I believe that Hikaru is more mature than most people give him credit for (he was super mature at the end of the series) and that Akira is fiercely possessive. Yes, I imagine that the go world is intensely competitive – anywhere you go. I hope that came through in this chapter as well! Technically, this is not a Yongha fic. In any case, his role should enlarge as it comes closer to the time for Kawasaki. I like to write about him since he's a relatively unexplored area. (no dirty thoughts intended...) :p

**Fujiwara-no-Sai-no-Go** – This series has touched me deeply too! This chapter has lots of Sai references – hope you liked it!

**e** – Thanks! The Young Lions is still anybody's game.

**Ky** – Thanks!

**Sydnee** – Oh thank you! If you think this feels like the manga then I have accomplished a great chunk of my goal. ) Yes, I do my homework so I'm trying!

**Rianna** – Thanks! This fic is dedicated to fans like you!

**a.n.g.e.l.** – Thank you for your lovely review!

**Rune-Rune** – Eh... oh no ... you found me out... NOT! I wish I was Hotta sensei. ) Alas, I am not – I'm just a fangirl obsessed with Hikago.

**Ashura Akuma** – I can't tell you what will happen in the qualifying prelims since I haven't written it yet. D Stay tuned! Thanks for adding me to your favorites – it's extra fuel to get the next chapter written!

Whew! Thank you for all your wonderfully detailed reviews! Keep them coming!! I know I didn't address everything in your comments, because I didn't want to give too much away. In any case, feel free to e-mail me if you like to send me more ideas, suggestions and whatever else. Remember, reviews influence the lives of the go players in this fic!!! You have the power! (Oh, that was really cheesy!) :-P


	8. When the Lions Come Marching In

Disclaimer: Same as before.

**Chapter Eight: When the Lions Come Marching In**

Hikaru ran breathlessly up the stairs two steps at a time as he tried to catch the subway that had just arrived at the platform.

Just a little more, Hikaru thought as his steps took him within viewing distance of the subway. Hikaru quickly removed his backpack and in a swift motion, turned sideways which allowed him to slip neatly into the passenger compartment just as the doors were closing.

Whew! Made it! Hikaru thought as he wiped the sweat off his brow and without a second thought, he slung the straps of his bright yellow and black backpack over his right shoulder. Hikaru made a hasty grab for the bars as the subway lurched forward, steadily accelerating toward its next destination. Hikaru took a quick survey of the passenger compartment and found that it was barely half filled. It was a typical Saturday morning.

Hikaru decided to stand where he was; he was feeling far too antsy, or perhaps a bit nervous, judging from the slight trembling in his hands, for him to sit still. This was just as well since his breathing was still uneven and his heart was marching double time in his chest.

Hikaru shook his head and laughed silently to himself. Am I really that out of shape? I don't remember running to be this painful when I was in elementary school.

Hikaru carelessly ran his fingers to comb his hair that had been blown by the wind as he was running to catch the train. As the subway traveled, rays from the morning sun bounced cheerfully on his bleached blond bangs. Hikaru was blissfully unaware of how his boyish good looks were being shown to maximum advantage as he stood facing the doors.

The Young Lion's Tournament is today - finally! Hikaru thought happily as he looked out the window, his gray-green eyes bright with childish delight. The last time that he felt this excited over a match was his first professional match with Touya many months ago.

I'm sure that Touya would know exactly how many months and days if I asked him, Hikaru grinned at the thought.

Hikaru hummed tunelessly to himself as he looked over the roofs of densely packed residential houses and the occasional tall building that stuck out as the train sped by. The clock face on a nearby commercial building announced that the present time was 8:28. The dull sceneries faded away as his thoughts strayed to his phone conversation with Kosemura earlier this week on Monday.

-----------------------------------------

"Hmmm... yeah. I mean, yes. I'm really excited to be selected as a member of Team Japan for the Kawasaki," I replied haltingly, with mixed emotions.

"You don't sound very excited," Kosemura noted perceptively over the phone.

"Well, that's because..." My voice trailed off and I allowed myself a small embarrassed laugh.

In my mind, I can clearly imagine Touya's acid look as he mercilessly fired his scathing remarks in response to my decision to reject the invitation. Yeah, I admit, it was made in the heat of the moment. My mouth definitely moved faster than my brain that time, but I'm not sorry. I have my pride and Sai's as well. Who has the time to worry about what the rest of the world was thinking of anyway? Kosemura-san was a reasonable man so I was sure that he would understand.

"WHAT! NO! You can't do that!" Kosemura exclaimed immediately when I politely declined. His voice unconsciously rose a pitch, obviously, this was not the answer that he was expecting. "We were all looking forward to a possible rematch between you and Ko Yongha!"

"But..."

"No buts, ifs or ands!" Kosemura continued firmly, his torrent of words effectively drowned out my voice. "Kawasaki has put this project on a fast-track. They have already prepared the advertisements and flyers with all the names of the players that they're intending to invite and they're not going to take no for an answer."

"Then...," I was trying to say, then, this was not really an invitation, but Kosemura-san rampaged on without really listening to me.

"Then, what're you thinking? Shindou-kun! This is going to be a highly anticipated international professional tournament. Who in their right minds would refuse?" Kosemura-san said crossly, his tone reminded me acutely of Touya's.

"It's going to be a great opportunity to advance your career and get your name out in the street, and in this case, it's the world."

"But..." But, I wasn't trying to advance my career. I just wanted to show the world that I can make it on my own.

"I said no buts!"

Kosemura-san took a deep breath before continuing.

"Look, Shindou-kun. I think you're one of the best young pros that we're had in a long while. But, don't let the fact that you had a really spectacular match with Ko Yongha get to your head, ok? I've seen cases where careers went down the tubes because of that. Shindou-kun, the professional go world is not an easy place to thrive in and some players struggle just to survive. Skill is important, but so is luck. You should take all the breaks that you get along the way, because you can be sure that your luck won't last forever."

"Uh...," I couldn't come up with an adequate response. Kosemura-san sounded far too persuasive. I guess I underestimated how big of a deal this was. I was completely bulldozed by the force of Kosemura-san's personality.

"So, can we count on you at the Kawasaki?" I was a little taken aback to hear the I-won't-take-no-for-an-answer tone in place of Kosemura-san's usual friendly voice. I just realized that the Week Go reporter can be really pushy when he chose to be. Maybe it's because that I've been told time and again that I have to respect the authority of adults, but whatever it is, I just can't argue with Kosemura-san the way that I argued with Touya.

"Yeah...um... I mean yes!"

-------------------------------------

Hikaru sighed heavily as he leaned his forehead against the glass window of the subway door. I'm sure that Waya won't hesitate to remind me of what I said at McDonald's and I'm never going to hear the end of it! Hikaru scrunched up his face into an exaggerated painful expression at the thought. Hikaru looked to the empty space by his right. You think so too, don't you, Sai? Hikaru smiled.

Hikaru knew perfectly well that Sai was not likely to reappear again, but out of habit and out of remembrance of his friend, he would sometimes talked to the thin air. Waya caught Hikaru doing that on several occasions and told him point-blank that people already thought that he was weird. Therefore, Hikaru should not push his luck.

Hikaru shrugged. Che! Whatever! Like I cared.

Sai.

The mysterious black stone on the recreated game.

Is there a connection between the two?

Hikaru did not have an answer.

Urgh! This is driving me absolutely crazy! Hikaru grimaced as he lightly banged his forehead against the glass window, prompting several passengers to inch away from him.

Hikaru heaved a heavy sigh and plopped himself onto an empty seat while rubbing his forehead.

This must be nerves, Hikaru thought sheepishly as he glanced out at the dull city scenery. Yeah, it must be.

Young Lions, here I come!

--0--0--0--

"Hey Oka, you're looking a little green. If you wanna throw up, the restroom is that-a-way," a boy with bright unruly orange hair teased his companion as he playfully turned his thumb toward the direction of the door.

"Look who's talking. You've had to use the little boys' room TWICE since we got here," Oka answered with a slight toss of his head. His earlier discomfort, generated by his anxiety of playing against Hikaru in the first round, was momentarily forgotten. Oka found it extremely gratifying when he saw Shouji's face flamed up.

"Hey, that's low! That's not the reason I had to go," Shouji answered defensively and in a rather loud voice. Several pros turned to look inquiringly toward their direction.

"Oh. Shut up, Shouji! Is it your goal in life to make everyone stare at us?" Oka retorted, annoyed with Shouji's inability to behave himself in public. "And, oh yeah, Mr. Group One, number sixteen on the rankings. You barely made it here today. If you asked me, you shouldn't even be here today!"

Shouji always managed to get on Oka's nerves and today was no exception. Shouji was not perturbed by the barbs in Oka's words. He merely made a face and stuck his tongue out at his dark-haired friend.

"Well, no one asked you. You're about as significant as I am in this tournament. Mr. Group One, number fourteen on the rankings," Shouji replied with a wide grin, imitating Oka's tone. He knew that would undoubtedly gall Oka into making a scene.

As predicted, Oka took the bait and his face immediately changed color. Oka hated it whenever Shouji implied that he was just as good as Oka, and heaven forbid, that he may even be _better_ than Oka.

No, I will never never NEVER let Shouji get ahead of me! NEVER EVER! Oka thought vehemently as he continued to fume silently over Shouji's taunt.

Both Shouji and Oka were ten years old and were in the fifth grade. By nature, Oka was a quiet boy and he was rather shy. He was often mistaken for a girl because of his cute features. The fact that his dark blue hair was slightly longer than most boys' added to the wrong impression. In contrast, Shouji was a loudmouth. He was always energetic and never hesitated to speak his mind, often, to the point of being rude. At first glance, these two insei's might seem like fire and ice, but they shared one important trait - they both hated to lose, especially to each other. Since day one, Shouji and Oka were nothing but a constant headache for Shinoda, their instructor at the institute.

"Don't be so uptight ok? Just relax and goooo... with the flow," Shouji made a gesture of a river with his hands as he mentioned the word "go" and unexpectedly gave Oka a hearty slap on the back.

"Ooowwww! That hurts!" Oka yelped in surprise. Shinoda, one of the pros responsible for supervising the insei's, sent a stern look of warning at Oka and Shouji's direction, which effectively forced both insei's to lower their heads in embarrassment.

"Look at what you've done again," Oka hissed in a low voice and glared at Shouji through narrowed eyes. "You're always getting me into trouble."

"You're the one who yelled out," Shouji retorted gleefully. He had already forgotten the warning look that Shinoda sent just moments ago.

"And guess whose fault that..." Oka's volume unconsciously rose an octave. His sentence was cut off by a light jab from Shouji's elbow.

"Now what?" Oka grumbled loudly in annoyance. Oka's voice was back to its normal level. It appears that he, too, had forgotten Shinoda's warning.

"It's Shinoda sensei and a short little man with protruding front teeth," Shouji giggled. Kosemura reminded him of an over-eager rabbit.

Oka glared at Shouji since he felt it beneath him to join in Shouji's silliness. Besides, he was within earshot of Shinoda sensei and the last thing that he need in the world was a reprimand from Shinoda sensei in front of all his peers and all the other pros. Shouji might be too stupid to realize this, but he certainly was not. Oka nodded to himself and huffed self-righteously.

Shouji cast a sidelong glance at Oka and merely shrugged, a mischievous smile hung on his face when his friend refused to acknowledge him. From where they were standing, they could clearly hear the conversation between Shinoda and Kosemura.

"Che! This is such a boring line-up!" Kosemura complained with a frown, his dissatisfaction was evident on his features.

Shinoda looked questioningly at Kosemura.

"Well, you see here," Kosemura explained as he pointed to the relevant portion of the schedule for the day. "Touya-kun and Shindou-kun will meet in the second round, but realistically, that might just as well be the finals."

"Well, I wouldn't make such a hasty judgment," Shinoda said kindly, not at all offended by Kosemura's comment. "Although I agree that Touya-kun and Shindou-kun are both excellent players, Kosemura-san should also take into account that there are other talented kids here who did not participate in the Hokuto Cup. There is Isumi-kun, just to name an example." Shinoda smiled.

"I see," Kosemura answered politely, but deep inside, he remained convinced that the victor of this tournament will ultimately be either Touya-kun or Shindou-kun.

Shouji and Oka exchanged looks with each other. The conversation was not particularly interesting since they already knew everything Kosemura mentioned. However, it did wound Oka's pride a tad to hear first hand that the Week Go reporter believed that Oka would lose for sure.

"Ah. It's Shindou-kun," Kosemura said brightly. The pushy and argumentative Kosemura from the phone conversation was completely nonexistent.

Both Shouji and Oka's ears perked up at this announcement. Their heads involuntarily drawn toward Kosemura's direction. A handsome young man with bleached blond bangs, casually dressed in a green and white checkered shirt and blue jeans, cheerfully greeted Kosemura and the others around him.

"Yo, Oka," Shouji whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Your opponent for the first round has just arrived."

Oka swallowed hard. He was too nervous to reply. Shindou's appearance just made him realized how scared that he really was to play against someone of Shindou's caliber, regardless of his earlier comment that "Shindou was merely someone who had lost two games at the Hokuto Cup."

Had Oka the wits to look at Shouji, he would have instantly noticed that Shouji was just as nervous and star-struck as he was by Hikaru's appearance.

"Maybe I should head over there and tell Shindou how you dissed him during the insei discussion last week," Shouji teased with a wicked evil smile as he pretended to walk over to Hikaru.

"Do...n't yo...u dare. Wh...y, I never...!" Oka whispered loudly, his scarlet face and his trembling voice betrayed his distress.

Shouji silently congratulated himself on how he had just made Oka royally shake in his boots. Teasing Oka was his favorite pastime next to go. Oka was far too gullible.

"Oh, lookie there. Komiya-san is pointing at you. Hmm... I guess he beat me to it," Shouji said cheerfully. He was enjoying the look of shock and dismay on Oka's face.

Finally, Oka realized that Shouji was laughing at him. It infuriated him that he was constantly falling for Shouji's pranks. Oka shot his friend a dirty look before turning his head away, determined to ignore Shouji before the start of round one.

Upon turning his head, Oka saw his idol Touya Akira walking over to join Hikaru's group. Akira was wearing a well-tailored white summer suit, coordinated with a blue and white striped shirt.

It's payback time, Oka thought with a little smirk. Shouji had also noticed the arrival of his opponent.

"Well, well, well, should I head over there and tell Touya all the insults that you've saying about him behind his back?" Oka taunted gleefully as he took a step toward Akira's direction.

"Oka, yo...u dumbass! A...ll I said was...," Shouji stuttered in his panic and grabbed Oka's arm, refusing to let go.

"Let go! YOU dumbass!" Oka muttered loudly as he tried to pry Shouji's hands from off of his arm. "People are watching us!"

"Hell no! I'm not letting go until the match starts!"

"Why you...!"

Shinoda shot a sharp glance which spoke volumes at the duo. Both took the hint and were wise enough to behave lest they be kicked out of the room even before the tournament starts.

--0--0--0--

"Ara, ara! Those two little rascals are getting into trouble with Shinoda sensei again," Nase gave a little shake of her head followed by a small sigh of resignation as she watched the little spectacle. "I wish they would just get along with each other."

"Those little rascals?" Honda asked with a puzzled look. "Oh, you mean those kids. Are they really insei's?" He asked doubtfully.

"It's hard to believe isn't it? We were all young and cute like them at one point," Nase said while flashing a winning smile at Honda. "Ne, Honda-san, go easy on me today, OK?"

Honda stared at Nase for a moment and shortly dismissed her with a low grunt. Nase was a rather inconsistent player, but she could be dangerous if he got careless.

"Ah, shucks!" Nase replied with a cute pout and shrugged. With a small laugh, she added, "I guess I have no choice but to go all out on you. Don't say that I didn't warned you!"

"I expect no less," Honda replied calmly with a straight face. "I'm going to get something to drink. Want anything?"

"No thanks," Nase answered. "Don't let me scare you off now."

Honda wisely ignored Nase's last comment. Nase tended to get chatty when she was nervous.

She's probably not even aware of it. How long has she been an insei now? Three or is it four years? It must be hard to watch as your fellow insei's, one by one, marched into the ranks of the pros - Mashiba; Shindou; Waya; Ochi; Isumi-san and finally myself. It must be so depressing to see the group marching ahead and you're merely lagging farther and farther behind. I should know. I was there last year, Honda thought.

As Honda headed for the door, his gaze was automatically drawn to Hikaru and Akira's group.

Even if you are part of the group, it's depressing if you're faltering in your march, Honda thought with a touch of melancholy.

Honda shook his head as if to clear it. No... No! I can't think that way. I'm a pro too! Honda told himself sternly. As sensei says, the road of a pro is long and endless. But, I will march with them. I will. I will. I must!

As Honda approached the refreshment table, he felt someone was watching him. Instinctively, he turned around. He saw the retreating back of a medium-built man with spiky silver-gray hair.

Yashiro! Honda thought in surprise. What is he doing here? I thought his group left for Osaka last night.

Honda stroked his chin thoughtfully as he watched Yashiro disappeared around the corner.

Sensei mentioned something about Yashiro having a big fight with his parents after the Hokuto Cup, but that did not seem to affect his performance one bit. If anything, Yashiro has been absolutely unstoppable. He's been winning every official and unofficial matches these past two weeks.

Yashiro. He's also marching forward on. Trust me, I won't be far behind.

--0--0--0--

"The eleventh annual Young Lions Tournament is about to begin. Participants, please take your seats accordingly...," the master of ceremony's voice boomed authoritatively over the loud speaker. "All first round matches will be an even game between pros and insei's where all insei's will play black..." The master of ceremony continued to announce the rules as the players briskly moved toward their pre-assigned seats. Finally, the room was quiet and after a slight pause, the master of ceremony gave the command.

"Please begin."

It's Touya, Shouji thought with apprehension as he stole a glace at his unsmiling opponent. It's really Touya Akira sitting across from me!

"Please," Akira said formally with a slight bow over the table. In that split second, the world seemed to have stood still for Shouji. His heart was beating. It was beating very fast. This is it. This is it!

I'll show you. I'll show you what I'm capable of! Shouji thought fiercely, a sudden surge of determination shot up from somewhere deep within, surprising even Shouji himself. "Please!" Shouji said with more force than he intended to.

Elsewhere in the room...

It's really Shindou Hikaru, Oka thought in mild panic as he looked at the relaxed features of his opponent.

"Ple..ase!" Oka said, a light tremor evident in his voice.

"Please," Hikaru said calmly. He did not seem to be aware of Oka's nervousness.

Oka tightly clutched his fists under the table and with a determined nod, he placed his first stone.

--------

A/N: Yes, it's been a very long time since the last update. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!


	9. Lion v Lion

Disclaimer: Same as before.

**Chapter Nine: Lion v. Lion**

"Waaa...hhhhhh! I was totally outclassed, outgunned, outfoxed, out everything," Shouji wailed loudly as he plopped gracelessly on a bench that was strategically located near a vending machine.

Oka, head bent and shoulders drooping, sat mutely next to Shouji. He was too wrapped up in his own misery and disappointment to even tell Shouji to shut up.

"I was a goner before I even knew what hit me," Shouji said with exaggerated resignation. "Damn, it was embarrassing!" Shouji said as he clapped a hand over his eyes. He leaned back on the bench and allowed his back to slide down against the wall until his rear reached the edge of the bench and was in danger of falling off.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Oka responded in a low quiet voice, all the while staring at the tips of his shoes. "It's like he can see right through me. It's really eerie." Oka felt a mild tightening of his stomach as he recalled how Shindou had so easily neutralized all the attacks that Oka had carefully planned on the board.

Silence settled between them. The reality of crushing defeat was a humbling experience.

"You know, that guy Touya Akira is freaking amazing," Shouji said slowly as he stared up at the ceiling.

Oka did not answer immediately. He merely sighed and blew strands of dark blue hair away from his eyes.

After a short pause, Oka finally replied, "Shindou Hikaru is really something too." He shrugged and added, "But hey, we knew that before going in there didn't we?"

A long pause followed.

"HAAAaaaaaaaa...!" Shouji and Oka simultaneously sighed in exaggerated resignation.

"I wanna to be a pro!" Shouji sat up suddenly and announced in a loud voice, his eyes bright with renewed determination.

"ME too!" Oka readily agreed, a similar glean bright in his eyes.

"But first order of business is second round, second round! I bet Touya's gonna win!" Shouji said enthusiastically with a broad grin. "Yeeeee-hah!" Shouji pressed his palms onto the bench and lithely bounced up and away toward the direction of the game room. He was not the type to stay depressed for long.

"Dumbass, get it right! It is Shindou who's going to win!" Oka exclaimed with a touch of annoyance, but it nevertheless pleased him that Shouji was so gung-ho about his idol. "But yes, Touya Akira is..." Oka finally noticed that his friend was no longer sitting next to him. "Hey, no fair! Wait for me!" Oka yelled as he dashed after the shock of bright orange hair.

--0--0--0--

"Second round matches. Please begin," the master of ceremony's voice announced formally over the loud speaker.

The familiar sound of clicking stones resonated throughout the room as players counted the stones to decide who will take black.

"Please," Hikaru and Akira said simultaneously as they performed the ceremonial bow over the table.

Both appeared perfectly serene. There was nevertheless an inexplicable feeling of tension radiating from the two, like a low smoldering fire that had been lurking, yearning, and waiting for the right moment to break free.

Shindou. What kind of game are you planning to play today? Akira thought as his gaze bored intently on Hikaru. The facade of a less experienced player would have undoubtedly crumbled under the pressure of those calm, yet unforgiving turquoise eyes.

Hikaru, however, was oblivious to Akira's scrutiny. Hikaru's expression was unreadable as his gray-green eyes focused on the empty board. His lips were set in an uncharacteristic firm line. The spectators that surrounded the small table were silent as they waited tensely for Hikaru's opening move.

Finally, with a slow and deliberate motion, Hikaru's hand reached into the bowl of black stones. He paused only for a split second as his eyes met Akira's over the board.

They were hot. Burning. Determined.

Hikaru felt a rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins as he swiftly unleashed his opening move.

--0--0--0--

Hikaru and Akira proceeded rapidly through the opening game.

Black. White. Black. White. Black. White.

Neither hesitated. Neither wavered. The stones flowed smoothly onto the board in a steady rhythm.

Pa-chi! Pa-chi!

It was almost as if the game played itself, and Hikaru and Akira were merely observing at the sidelines as the game unfolded. Most of the pros around the table, however, knew that it was quite the opposite. This steady dialogue of black and white stones was evidence that each had invested a considerable amount of thought in preparing for this match. It also showed that each was intimately familiar with the styles and pet peeves of his opponent in the opening game, to the point that most moves could be adeptly countered or neutralized without a second thought. Time was precious. Both wanted to reserve as much time as possible for the big battle that was sure to come.

Within minutes from the start of the match, black and white had each methodically staked out multiple advantageous positions on the board for its groups. Hikaru's black stones extended a powerful double-wing formation from the corner enclosure in the upper right, while Akira's white stones formed an aggressive territorial framework on the left and lower left corner, standing ready to conquer vast expanses of territory.

Shindou is playing rather conservatively today, Akira thought as he glanced coolly at black's double-wing formation all the while feeling vaguely disappointed. Is Shindou still bothered by his loss back at the go salon this week or is there a deeper strategy to this?

Akira sat back on his seat, arms crossed and pondered briefly. In either case, you of all people should know that there is no chance of winning against me with mere defense, Akira thought as his eyes narrowed. I expected more from you, Shindou!

A spark of anger rose deep inside Akira at the thought that Hikaru might not be giving this match his all, but at the same time, Akira felt a shadow of uneasiness.

Is this match going to disintegrate into a pathetic mess like that time? No, I won't accept that! Akira's teeth clenched at the offending thought. His eyes seemingly bent on burning a hole through the top of his opponent's bent head. Shindou wants to win. He wants to win against Ko Yongha - bad. Akira's brow furrowed slightly as he recalled how desperately Hikaru wanted to play against Ko Yongha at the Hokuto.

There was something in Hikaru's attitude then that struck a cord within Akira, compelling Akira to step aside. Akira still occasionally marveled at why he had allowed Hikaru to take first board at Hokuto without protest.

Yes, but it definitely will not happen again, Akira thought with renewed passion. Did you think that was a sign of weakness? A sign that you have surpassed me? Is winning against Ko Yongha the only thing driving you? Is nothing else worth your while? Look at me. Look at me! Shindou!

Akira's gaze swept quickly over the board. He astutely saw that timing was crucial if he wanted to maximize the effectiveness of his groups. Although the opportunity was there, he did not rush into an attack immediately. Instead, he chose to first consolidate his position on the left side of the board with a stone on 2-7 at the lower left corner. An extra sharp pa-chi that accompanied the move was the only sign of Akira's irritation.

If Shindou persists in this ridiculous conservative strategy, I will gain an enormous framework for my territory at the next move, Akira thought, his eyes flashed dangerously.

Hikaru responded unerringly with a reinforcement to his lower right group, which effectively prevented Akira's white stones from further enlarging its influence. Hikaru's black stone also had the secondary effect of encroaching on white's territory.

The corner of Akira's lips rose slightly. Akira's slender fingers dipped lightly into the bowl and swiftly delivered a move that blocked black's attempted advance.

Hikaru felt the stress of the game bearing down on him. It was always tough to play against Akira, but today seemed to be particularly bad.

This isn't working, Hikaru thought as he quickly assessed the situation on the board. He unconsciously rubbed his palms against his jeans to rid the accumulating sweat. He knew that his framework was good enough to beat most junior pros, but not Touya Akira.

Since when has it gotten so hot in here? Hikaru thought, mildly irritated. Several more moves were exchanged. Hikaru surveyed the battles on the board again. This time, he felt a chill running down his spine. His attacks were barely making a dent on Akira's defenses.

At this rate, white will soon control the board, Hikaru thought. KUUuuu-so! What the hell is wrong with me today?

Touya. It's because of you. It's all because of you!

Hikaru stared at his opponent in mute frustration. Since that day at the salon, on and off, he thought about Akira's challenge.

"If you want to play against Ko Yongha as the first board in the Kawasaki,  
you're going to have to go through me."

Those words are so Touya, Hikaru thought. Unrelenting. Persistent. Stubborn. They sneak up on you when least expected or wanted. Hikaru frowned as he ran his hand through his hair. I don't want to lose! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE! Not to you. Not to Ko Yongha. No - definitely - not to Ko Yongha. Hikaru's mouth hardened at the last thought.

The wound from Hokuto was still sore. It had only been two weeks. On a subconscious level, that loss was affecting Hikaru's game and concentration. It was not Hikaru's intention to play conservatively - it just happened, almost like a self-protection mechanism.

This isn't good; it isn't good at all, Hikaru thought. His head drooped, eyes closed, a pained expression on his face. All of a sudden, he felt tired and defeated.

Akira watched wordlessly from across the table. A mixture of concern and annoyance crossed his features, but was quickly replaced by his usual game face.

What would Sai do in this situation? Hikaru asked himself. At the back of his mind, he knew that valuable game time was ticking away, but he felt paralyzed.

Sai! Am I going to let you down again? Hikaru screamed in his mind.

Why? Why? WHY!

I'm afraid.

Afraid?

Since when have I turned into such a coward?

Fear.

Fear?

The word left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Maybe he wasn't as good as he thought. Maybe he wasn't worthy. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

Time continued to move uninterrupted on the game clock.

Hikaru felt rather than saw Akira's displeasure. Although Hikaru tried to resist, something about Akira's aura was compelling him to look at his opponent.

Hikaru slowly raised his head. He swallowed, hard.

Although Akira's features appeared calm, those icy turquoise eyes told a different story. They seemed to be accusing him of something.

Now that their gazes had met, Hikaru felt unable to tear away, like a moth to a flame.

Sai isn't here anymore, but Touya is.

The pain of his fingernails digging into his palms told him everything he saw and felt at that moment was real.

So what was the worst fear of all? Hikaru thought as he tried to pierce through the swirl of emotions within him.

--It was the fear of losing respect in the eyes of his rival.

No. NO! I will NEVER EVER allow let that happen!

A sudden surge of determination swept through Hikaru.

This is not the time to ponder. This is not the time to hesitate. This is the time for action. Whatever happens will happen. At least, I know there will be no regrets as long as I did my best!

Hikaru once again closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. His mind raced as he methodically searched and compared an extensive array of possible moves. Suddenly, it clicked. The answer was clear.

Hikaru slowly, almost reverently, reached over to place a black stone on the center of the board.

Tengen? Akira's eyes widen slightly, but quickly narrowed as he surveyed the new development. Very risky, very reckless - very Shindou.

Akira finally smiled.

Akira sent a white stone to clamp against the black stone at tengen, reducing its effectiveness. Hikaru responded with a knight's move from tengen. White fought back without hesitation and a fierce exchange broke out in the middle of the board.

--0--0--0--

Akira's white groups took the preemptive strike and began an ruthless campaign to invade black's territory in the upper right. However, Hikaru's black was strong in that corner so white cannot expect to take much territory.

No one in their right minds would dare to challenge me in this situation, Hikaru thought as he waited for Akira's next move. No one but Touya Akira.

Hikaru felt his breath caught in his throat as Akira played the next move. It was aggressive bordering on reckless, but the genius behind it was undeniable.

White was going all out to destroy black's hold on the upper right corner. White was fearless even though it was badly outnumbered. White was cunning, always seeming to know which soldier to sacrifice would result in the maximum gain. It was absolutely ruthless. But black was no easy target, it clung tightly to its territory and stubbornly refused to yield.

Droplets of sweat formed at Hikaru's brow. He wiped at it impatiently with the back of his sleeve. Even Akira was showing signs of strain as the furrow between his brows deepened. Breaths were becoming more labored as the match approached the climax. They were like marathon runners approaching the finish line. It was close, so close that the outcome could still swing either way.

Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!

Hikaru could feel the rapid pounding of his heart in his ear as it accompanied the crisp pa-chi of the stones on the board.

Black! White! Black! White! Black!

Suddenly, Hikaru's eyes widen in shock and disbelief.

It was over.

"Tha...nk yo..u for the game," Hikaru felt his voice shook as he bowed over the table. Akira softly uttered the same phrase and quietly stood to leave without a backward glance.

No one spoke as they watched Akira's retreating back from the room. Hikaru felt himself drowning in a sea of black and white stones as he continued to sit mutely in front of the board.

A hardy slap on the back brought him quickly back to reality. It was Waya.

"ALRIGHT! YE--AH! Shindou! You won! You won! You beat that Touya! This calls for a sushi celebration!" Waya beamed happily as he continued to slap Hikaru enthusiastically on the back.

"Hey! Ouch! Easy there, Wa-ya!" Hikaru replied, somewhat sheepishly.

"Ho! Ho! We're already so full of ourselves here?" Waya grinned and enthusiastically pulled on Hikaru's cheeks with his fingers.

"Really... you, Waya," Isumi said softly under his breath as he clapped a hand over his eyes, embarrassed for his friend. But, he knew that Waya was overjoyed that someone in their age group finally beat Akira in an official match.

"Ou...c...h...!" Hikaru exclaimed as he attempted to shove the ecstatic Waya away.

The people around the table laughed heartily. This was a good break from the intense atmosphere that filled the room just moments before.

Suddenly, Hikaru's world was filled with words of congratulations, handshakes, and a billion questions of how he was feeling at the moment.

Hikaru knew that this was no doubt one of the greatest highlight of his life.

--0--0--0--

Akira heard the laughter radiating from the table just as he was stepping out of the room.

Akira sighed inwardly. He could never make people laugh like that.

Why am I so glum? Akira thought. This is pitiful. It was bound to happen - losing to Shindou in an official match.

Akira slowed his steps and leaned his left shoulder heavily against the wall. "It's too soon," Akira mumbled to himself as he pounded his fist against the wall.

Half a moku!

Ku-so!

The sound of approaching footsteps from around the corner snapped Akira quickly back to attention. He would rather be dead than be caught moping over his loss to Shindou. He quickly straightened his suit and waited.

The footsteps belonged to the energetic Weekly Go reporter Kosemura. Akira firmly pushed his feelings to the back of his mind and put on his best smile as he graciously accepted Kosemura's post game interview.

--0--0--0--

Akira was not sure what he said to Kosemura, but the reporter seemed satisfied as they bid their farewell. That was good, because Akira's cheeks were starting to ache from the smile on his face. He wanted to get out of this place. Now!

"Akira-kun." A voice called out to Akira from behind him.

Despite the mild numbness that Akira felt after the match and the interview, Akira instantly recognized Ogata. Akira highly respected Ogata as a senior in his father's study group and as one of the current top pros. However, since the Honinbou round robin matches, the relationship between him and Ogata seemed to have changed. On the outside, Ogata seemed to be the same, but Akira, for whatever reason, felt an underlying tension whenever he spoke to Ogata. Although Akira implicitly trusted Ogata, it had nevertheless been a strain for him to pretend that he did not notice anything.

Akira was not in the condition to talk to anyone right now, least of all, Ogata. Akira quickly thought of an excuse and pasted a smile on as turned around to greet Ogata.

"Good afternoon. Ogata-san. I'll be happy to discuss the match, but I have an obligation that I must attend to ...," Akira said with an apologetic smile.

Ogata did not seem to notice Akira's stiff demeanor. If he did, he kept that thought to himself.

"This will only take a moment," Ogata said shortly as he reached into the inner pocket of his white suit jacket to pull out an envelope to give to Akira.

Akira wordlessly accepted the envelope with a puzzled look.

Ogata adjusted his glasses with a slight smile and crossed his arms across his chest.

"That's the schedule for the Kawasaki preliminary. It hasn't been publicly posted yet, but I thought that you might want to see it first." Ogata said with a light shrug. Ogata's demeanor indicated that he was waiting for Akira to look at the schedule.

Akira wondered vaguely about Ogata's behavior, but obediently opened the letter.

As Akira was looking over the schedule, Ogata said quietly, "Despite speculations, the Kawasaki sponsors were planning to issue only one invitation. Apparently, they felt Shindou-kun was the better candidate. Judging from today's game, maybe ... ."

Akira froze. Those quiet words felt like a kick to his stomach.

Ogata adjusted his glasses as he perceptively took in the apparently stunned Akira. Ogata patted Akira lightly on the shoulder and proceeded down the corridor with a little wave.

Ogata took only two steps before he heard the distinct sound of paper being crumpled.

Ogata smiled coolly. There was a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

A cigarette and a glass of wine would be perfect just about now, Ogata thought with a barely suppressed chuckle as he recalled the expression on Akira's face.

That was absolutely ... priceless.

--------

A/N: Finally, the conclusion to the Young Lion's tournament. It has been a long time coming. Contrary to what some of you may think, I'm really a big Akira fan. I have no idea whether anyone has written about who wins here, but this is my take on it. It's sad that Akira had to lose, but I suspect, for various reasons, that is the likely outcome had Hotta-sensei continued her work. Thanks for reading and thanks to the nice people who reviewed.. Until next time.


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